#c. killian steele

[hallowcked]

D ─ Dreams for Killian/Isabelle

A wet dream my muse has had about yours, and whether they’d want to make it come true.

For the most part Killian gets off when he's forcing someone to prove their loyalty to him. He enjoys watching Isabelle kill and double-cross people. He would be naive if he thought there wasn't anything going on between her and his right-hand man. He's observant and notices the secret glances and quick exits whenever they are in the same room together. These worrying thoughts often worm their way into his dreams and he has woken up sticky and panting from one in particular. Isabelle was dancing for Benjamin in the club's private lounge, legs shimmering, boobs nearly spilling out. The music was loud enough for Killian to enter without being heard. He got to watch his seductress work her magic and when Benjamin couldn't handle anymore teasing, Isabelle walked off stage and cuffed him to the couch. With his hands restrained and her barely-covered breasts in his face, his heart was racing with anticipation. It was finally about to happen for him. While straddling his hips, she leans closer and Killian's tattooed hand comes into view from behind, cupping the back of her head. And Benjamin is forced to watch his cock enter her mouth while listening to the sounds she makes when he touches the back of her throat. There's no doubt Killian would love for this to happen.

[hallowcked]

The term crazy is a description thought up by people with small minds. There's nothing crazy about honing in on your natural instincts. Being civilized is something that's taught. When children act up they're disciplined. When adults go a little crazy they're institutionalized or imprisoned. The world is afraid of people who don't go willingly into the boxes made for them. Killian considers himself a naturalist, a survivalist. If he has to be an animal to keep other animals off him - so be it. If that makes him crazy then yes, he's batshit crazy.

"I like your spunk, Toni, so I'm going to be straightforward with you. Your dad was a coward. There were things he wanted but he was too afraid to reach out and grab them. Then came the day when it was too late. Everything at his fingertips began pulling away. In a desperate haste to get it back, he stole money from his clients. If he would have just stayed off his high horse, he would have been making millions all on his own. Don't end up like your father. This drug, it would have kept him in business. But he was scared of it." Killian leans back and places the tablet on his tongue before swallowing it. It only takes a few minutes to kick in and then they'll be soaring like birds. Weightless and free.

"It only takes a few minutes. Just enough time for me to ask you a more important question. What do you think our lovebirds are up to? I admire mi reina but I don't trust her with matters of the heart. When a woman has hell painted on her lips and sex dancing in her eyes...she can take whatever she wants. Your fiancé. Do you think he has the willpower to resist hell on heels?"

-

"Samson Industries." That sounded familiar to Tyler. That's right, Johnathan McKenzie owned a few of their guns. He was a bigtime collector and when Tyler kidnapped Quinn for the Vipers, it was the Samson pistol he used to scare Jake and Brooke into listening to him. He wishes he could erase those thoughts from his mind completely. If only the coma would have done a little brain damage. Maybe then he wouldn't be having dreams of himself shooting her. "My foster dad, Johnathan McKenzie. He had a few of your father's guns. He took me to the shooting range when I was seventeen. I haven't touched one since."

"Toni and I have been together since...Well, I met her when I was fourteen. We got into trouble when I was sixteen and after I got out of juvie I was adopted by the McKenzies. Johnathan was a public defender for the court and he and his wife run this charity organization for underprivileged kids. In a last-ditch effort to save me, they let me live with them for two years." All that was true but, he still has to squeeze in more about his fake-relationship. "I kept in contact with Toni over the years and tonight, we finally sealed the deal. I can't see myself with anyone else." Lie. Lie. Lie. Because if Isabelle asked him to, he would have followed her into the ladies room and fucked her over the sink. "You said you tamed Killian. Does that mean I don't have to worry about him being alone with Toni?"

Toni would be lying if she said Killian's offer wasn't tempting. Especially after he upped the ante by whispering seductive dealings in her ear. Her knees clenched under her dress from beneath the table as the thought of taking Grim and floating to whatever paradise Killian assured her was waiting, lingered in the air. Maybe she could snag an extra pill for Tyler and they could mutually get high together. They've done drugs together before but, never quite like this. And if he was so hellbent on being her partner then she wanted to know what he truly thought of this drug. Which is why Toni reached into Killian's personalized pill container and took out two servings. "Mind if I take an extra? One for now and one for later." Or more like, one for her and one for her pretend fiance. "You definitely make a tempting offer, Mr. Steele. My father spoke very highly of you in the past. He also said you were crazy, though." Something told her, he wouldn't take offense to that. And might actually perceive it as a compliment or the highest form of flattery. "I personally, believe crazy people make shit happen. Which probably explains why you're so successful."

She didn't peg him as someone who would offer her business advice but, that didn't mean she wasn't curious to hear his take on things as she pushed the free glass of whiskey toward him. "I admire people who know what they want and do whatever it takes to make it happen. That's where I'm at now. So, I look forward to testing your product out so we can arrange further negotiations in the future." In the meantime, she knows he wants her to take a pill now. And Toni wanting to prove herself, despite knowing it probably wasn't a good idea, does just that. She pops the pill right before she washes it down with her own glass of whiskey. "You're an expert on the matter. How long does this pill last? Or this pleasure you speak of?"

---

"Big, indeed," Izzy emphasizes. Though she doubted the tattoo was the only thing big about him. He was over six feet tall. He had dark olive skin, and was incredibly easy on the eyes. Like her, she was sure he could get women to do whatever the hell he wanted. Which she found intriguing.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Tyler." Another thing about Izzy? She rarely told lies. Which meant, she was genuinely pleased to meet and get to know him. Hopefully on a deeper level. Which is why after she stopped at the bathrooms, she insisted they grab a drink on their way back to their dates. "Oh no, no...." Izzy laughed, while squeezing the top of Tyler's hand as it lay above the bartop. "It's Samson, actually. As in Samson Industries. My father's an arms dealer. It's how Killian and I met. We aren't married. He's not traditional in that sense. Though, we have been together for nearly four years. Some would say I've tamed him." Among others who come into The House. Izzy was a siren in that way. "How long have you and Antonia been together?" This was his last chance to be honest, because she'll know in a few seconds of the lies he attempts to weave in her presence.

[usafphantom2]

‘Greatest Show on Turf’ – Warbird Night Engine Run at Geneseo

Tom Pawlesh

Thom Richard in his P-40 American Dream, and Lou Horschel in his FG-1D Corsair flying formation for Tom Pawlesh. Photo by Tom Pawlesh

By Tom Pawlesh The National Warplane Museum (NWM) held its annual “Greatest Show on Turf” airshow on July 13 and 14, 2024 in Geneseo, New York. Although this show has a small-town feel, there are always a large number of warbirds in attendance. This is an “open” airshow, meaning the spectators can walk along the flight line see the aircraft up close, and talk with the pilots. With today’s security concerns, the intimacy of this airshow is a breath of fresh air from a bygone era.

Rob Holland in ihs Extra 300, Thom Richard in his TP-40N American Dream, and Lou Horschel in his FG-1D Corsair flying formation for Tom Pawlesh and other aviation photographers in a air to air photoshoot organized by Mike Killian.

With the growing popularity of night engine-run photography sessions, the NWM joined the growing number of airshows that offer this type of event. Aerospace Photojournalist Mike Killian was in charge of the event while pilot/photographer Tom Pawlesh provided the lighting. Not to be outdone by any airshow, the NWM fielded an impressive ten aircraft for the evening. First up was Skipper Hyle in his Stearman followed by the Fokker Dr.I and Dr.VII run by J. B. Aldred and Ruben Alconero, respectively. The NWM’s C-47 Whiskey 7 and the Tunison Foundation’s Placid Lassie, both World War II veterans, were next followed by Thom Richard’s TP-40N American Dream and Scott Yoak’s P-51D Quick Silver. Lou Horschel did a solo run-up in the Corsair and folded/unfolded the wings twice for the photographers. The evening finished with the T-6s of Steve & Juliet Lindrooth and David Steele.

It was a memorable evening that left photographers very happy. We can’t thank the pilots and ground crew enough. It is because of them that this event was such a success. The National Warplane Museum is dedicated to the preservation and display of significant historical and military aircraft and artifacts for the benefit and education of the public. They honor United States veterans for their service and sacrifice. For more information, visit www.nationalwarplanemuseum.com

[rumbelleshowdown]

Author: Spindle

Prompts: A ray of sunlight. “Get the hell out.” Vocabulary.

Group: C

-

Warning: blood, violence, ambiguous ending with possible MCD

-

His Ray of Light

He was floating in the dark.

But he wasn’t alone for long - a ray of sunlight fell on his face, its warm caress against his cheek both grounding and beckoning at the same time, and he couldn’t help but follow the lead, out of the darkness and into the light, towards an angel with chestnut curls and beautiful blue eyes and a melodious, lilting voice that begged him to…

“...with me!”

Gold blinked, heavy and slow - his whole body felt heavy and slow to respond to his mind’s commands, for some reason - and Belle’s face came into focus, hovering over him, her messy curls lit like a halo by the library lamp.

No wonder he thought she was an angel.

“Alan! Stay with me!”

Belle sounded so panicked that his brow furrowed - what could possibly distress her so much?

Either way, he had to soothe her, to ease her worry, and it seemed that, for once, he had the means to do so.

Swallowing against the dryness of his throat, he tried to speak, to reassure her he was with her, even if all that came out was a hoarse croak:

“I’m here.”

For some inexplicable reason, it was enough for Belle to give the most radiant, though teary, smile.

“Alan,” she breathed, tremendous relief singing in every syllable, and stroked his cheek with her thumb. 

But then her eyes flickered down and he didn’t know what she saw there, but when her gaze locked with his once again, there was sad resignation in her eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said, tears welling in her eyes, as if whatever she was about to do was going to hurt her but she had no choice, and her caress of his cheek grew even more, impossibly, achingly tender, “But I have to do this and you have to stay awake.”

Then, she pressed down somewhere on his torso and a thought, ridicoloudly relieved, that it was going to hurt him, not her had just enough time to flicker in his mind before his world exploded with pain and memories.

He remembered heading for the library after closing up his shop because they agreed to have dinner, a pep in his step as it always was when he knew he was going to see Belle, and a bouquet of flowers he practically wrestled out of her father’s hands in his hand.

He remembered limping up to the door only to see through an open window something - or, rather, someone - that made his blood run cold.

He remembered bursting into the library, the bouquet falling to the floor in his haste, with a roaring “Get the hell out of here!”

He remembered Killian Jones turning towards him from where he was having the most polite conversation with Belle with a smirk on his lips and a triumphant glint in his eyes when they landed on him.

He remembered Belle looking between them, confused, and asking him what’s wrong, Killian here was just helping her put some books up…

He remembered Jones asking too, in a mocking voice that made his stomach twist “Yeah, what’s wrong, Alan?”

He remebered losing control and pinning Jones to the nearest bookshelf with his cane, growling into his face to leave him and Belle alone.

He remembered seeing something dark and twisted in Jones’ eyes as he said he couldn’t leave them alone until he made him pay for breaking Milah’s heart.

He remembered the cold steel of a dagger entering his flesh and Belle’s scream ring in his ears as the world tilted and suddenly it was Jones on him, not the other way round, leering about how he finally got to him and now he was going to get his revenge and would make him watch as he played with his little librarian before…

He remembered watching Jones slump in the middle of his triumpant speech and seeing Belle behind his back, a book clutched tightly in her white-knuckled grip.

He remembered relief washing through him as he saw that she was unharmed, if shaken, and a laugh that startled out of him when he asked her what did she hit Jones with and she said that it was a book of English vocabulary with an adorably sheepish expression on her face. 

After that, everything grew hazy…

He was dimly aware of Belle crying, of her voice begging him to hold on, of something warm and liquid making its way up his throat but it was all so far away and the darkness was so warm and welcoming and near that he let himself succumb… just for a moment, he told himself.

He was floating in the dark.

But he wasn't alone for long – that same ray of light fell on his face, though not as warm as before, as if it was the last ray of sunlight before the sun set.

Still, he followed its lead back towards the flickering light of a lamp that was definitely not from the library and Belle, lit up by it, her face pale and something bright glistening on her lips.

“Alan?”

Her voice was so weak and fragile as she called his name, her hand trembling against his cheek, that Gold worried she was unwell.

That worry only deepened when he realised that the bright liquid glistening on her lips was blood.

“Belle?”

With great difficulty he forced himself to raise his hand to her cheek, his fingertips barely brushing her delicate skin before his strength faded and his hand threatened to fall limply back to his side if Belle didn't cover his hand with her own, pressing it almost desperately against her cheek.

“I'm here, Alan.”

The darkness was beginning to lick at the corners of his vision and he was dimly aware of a stranger's voice saying something that sounded like he's crashing but he couldn’t be sure because he was straining his attention to find out if Belle was alright.

Breathing, let alone speaking, suddenly seemed like too much effort but he pushed himself to gasp out between heaving, wet breaths:

“Are… you… alright?”

Belle’s brow furrowed in confusion, then something like heartbreak reflected in her eyes, quickly welling with tears, but she replied, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze even as her own hands trembled:

“I am. But Alan…”

Whatever she was about to say, it got lost in a loud, high-pitched whine that came somewhere from beside him and Alan's eyes slid shut even as Belle pleaded with him to stay.

She was okay. That was the main thing.

And he…

He was floating in the dark.

-

[wetsteve3]

From Mecum This genuine factory-modified 1942 Indian Class C racer is an exceptionally rare find, a racing machine with a full provenance from new and 25 years of active competition under its belt. AMA Class C racing was introduced in 1934 to revive the sport during the Great Depression by allowing only catalogued motorcycles to compete, thus theoretically banning exotic factory prototypes and specials, and giving the everyman racer a fighting chance to win events with a modest investment. Of course, both Harley-Davidson and Indian knew too much advertising value was at stake to leave a win to talented amateur tuners, so both factories built a limited number of very special racers to be delivered to riders who could win at the very top level. Both factories cheated in this way, yet neither called foul, as both were guilty.

Indian built five very special Bonneville Sport Scout engines in 1939 for selected riders using sand-cast crankcases that looked identical to the standard item, with the only exterior giveaway—a triangular mini-sump at the rear of the crankcases—being invisible with the engine installed in a chassis. That sump caught oil flung off the flywheels by a steel scraper bolted inside the cases, and it was just one of a legion of modifications inside the motor. Square camshafts pushed extra-large valves through enlarged and highly polished cylinder ports; all internal parts were lightened and highly polished, and ball bearings were used on both the drive and timing side of the crankshaft. Four decades of factory race-tuning experience went into these motors, which were streets faster than the catalogued racing Scout acceptable in Class C.

As these five engines were totally illegal in AMA racing, their crankcase numbers are creatively distributed and non-sequential. This machine has Serial No. FDB 381, which tells the real story. The FDB is factory speak for “Scout-4-2,” meaning a 1942 Scout, but the 381 referred to its intended recipient’s racing number, 38, with the vestigial 1 promoting the illusion that this was a production bike, as all Scouts have three-digit engine numbers. In fact, this engine was sent to Ed Kretz (famously No. 38), after the surviving four factory engines (one was blown up by Ted Evans) were returned to the factory in 1941 to be refurbished, and this one (at least) was re-numbered. It’s recorded that Kretz received two special Scout racers from the factory in 1941: FCI 173 and FDB 381. Kretz retained both machines through World War II and campaigned them when racing resumed in 1946 via his Los Angeles Indian dealership with the riders including Floyd Emde, Jack Horn, Bobbie Turner and Bob Holt, who took third in the 1948 Daytona 200 on FDB 381 and fourth in the 1949 Daytona. FDB 381 was installed in many chassis over the years, and the current owner has documented three different Indian Scout frames of both the early and late styles.

Kretz sold FDB 381 in 1952, when he took on a Triumph dealership, and the machine passed through several very interesting hands from that day on. Galen Brookins bought the machine from Kretz and later sold it to legendary tuner Shell Thuet, who in turn sold it in 1957 to Pate Killian. Killian was good friends with Kenny Howard (Von Dutch), who painted his racer three times: Von Dutch’s last paint scheme remains on FDB 381, and while it has acquired a few cracks and patina in the intervening years, only a fool would erase such history with a repaint. Bob Fleckenstein purchased the bike in 1961, who intended to carry on racing FDB 831 but could find no top-tier riders willing to race a hand-shift antique against newer machines, even though the Indian was every bit as fast as its competition. This purposeful and historic 1942 Indian factory Big Base Scout racer has an incredible lineage, presents in excellent condition and comes with one heck of a story featuring a very long racing career at the top tier of American racing.

[wweincorrectquotes]

Decided to post the updated family tree for those who can't find it 🖤

Hunter and Stephanie - Seth, Roman, Dean/Jon, Paige, and Ruby. Hunter also considers himself an honorary dad for the entire NXT roster, past and present. Paige and Ruby are dating Sonya and Liv respectively so they’re daughters in law.

Seth and Becky - Humberto, Rhea, Akam, Rezar, Millie Mckenzie, Buddy, Austin Theory and all Seth’s B&B Academy kids (So Val Eden, Steve Manders, Valentina Loca, Jah-C, Zicky Dice, Connor Braxton, Travis Titan, Jackson Kelly, Chris Dangerfield, Chase Holliday, Sage Cainan, Eddie Machete, Tarlee, Blair Onyx, Deonn Rusman, Gerard Castle, Heather Reckless, Joeasa, Robin Steele, Xander Killen, and Travis Horn) Austin is dating Jake Atlas, essentially making Jake a son in law. 

Finn - Becky, Jordan, Killian, Tucker (NXT UK)

Paige - Shotzi Blackheart

Damian Priest - Leon Ruff

Johnny Gargano and Candice Lerae - Indi Hartwell and Austin Theory 

The Rock - Becky

Rey - Humberto, Cain

Roman - Mustafa, Chad, Cedric, Candyfloss

Dean and Renee - Shota/Shooter, Priscilla, Scott Dawson, Dash Wilder and Drake Maverick. Priscilla is dating Isla Dawn. After her and Darby decided to separate, Mox promptly adopted him! 

Johnny Saint/Shawn Michaels - Rhea and Pete

Generation DX, as a group - Seth

Drew - Kay Lee, Noam, and The IIconics.

Alexa - Nikki Cross

Goldberg - Asuka

Shawn Michaels - The Young Bucks

Undertaker - Aleister Black

Mustafa Ali - Retribution

[justanother-unluckysoul]

Working My Way Back To You 4/?

Killian gets captured. When Emma finally rescues him, he’s traumatized and nearly broken from the torture he endured. Angst and h/c galore as Emma helps him through it.

I tried to go easy on the whumpy side of it since it’s supposed to be for Comfortember, but it’s me so I probably failed lol

A slightly shorter chapter today, for the prompts “confession,” and “crying.”

This chapter did NOT want to be written and I'm still not 100% happy with how it turned out lol

But some of my favourite parts are coming up soon, and I am excited to share those with you. So just bear with me for this one!

Read this chapter on AO3

Working My Way Back To You

Chapter 4: Confession + Crying

Once he’s caught his breath and had some more water, Killian insists on using the bathroom and doesn’t seem to have thought it through very well, judging by how long it takes him to figure out he needs Emma’s assistance to do so. But in typical Killian fashion he quickly switches from awkward to inappropriately suggestive, and his dirty innuendoes have Emma blushing. How he can still get to her like that, she doesn’t know. But it’s good to see a bit of his normal swagger returning, although it’s still subdued. She even cleans his teeth for him and cracks jokes about how much more enjoyable he is with his mouth otherwise occupied. She knows full well that she’s set up the perfect opening for another innuendo but the fact that his mouth is otherwise occupied means he can do nothing more than wiggle his eyebrows and grin around the toothbrush. She laughs, and he laughs, and he almost misses the sink when he quickly spits out the minty foam, because he’s laughing too hard. Emma’s heart feels light and full.

“I must apologize for earlier, love,” Killian says once he’s sitting on the bed again.

He suddenly won’t meet her eyes and Emma misses the jovial Killian immediately. He raises his hand slightly in an aborted motion, and then he frowns at it in obvious annoyance. She wonders what he was wanting to do – maybe his nervous habit of scratching behind his ear. And Emma feels intensely sad for him, not being able to do even the simplest things for himself until his one hand heals.

“I woke from another dream to see a stranger leaning over me,” Killian explains, “I let fear get the better of me and I do believe my reaction frightened you, and those poor nurses, quite badly.” He cringes a little at the memory. “Not to mention my vile language.”

Emma almost laughs, still feeling slightly giddy from their previous antics, but she manages to contain it to a smile instead.

“I’m sure they’ve heard far worse than ‘bloody,’” she says.

Killian huffs out a soft breath as he smiles too, and his eyes meet hers for a second before looking down at his hand again.

“I’m afraid I was a bit more vulgar than that before you returned.”

Oh, that makes more sense. She’s heard some of Killian’s more explicit language before, when he’s gotten really worked up about something and let slip some rather creative curses under his breath. He always apologizes if he realizes Emma’s overheard him, not that she particularly minds it. There’s something almost hot about Killian’s muttered profanity. She quickly shakes herself from that train of thought – now isn’t really the time.

“Well, I’m sure they won’t hold it against you,” she says, “After what you’ve been through, I think you’re entitled to a bit of vulgarity every now and then.”

The smile drops from his face as Killian seems to think on that for a moment before he nods slowly.

“All the same, if you see them again, could you pass on my apologies?”

“Of course.”

 **

David and Snow visit as promised, bringing some items from home as requested, along with a paper bag containing a home-cooked meal for Emma and a perfect cup of coffee. Killian rouses himself from his exhausted doze to give them a weak attempt of his usual smile.

“Feeling better?”

“Aye.” At Snow’s side eye he amends – “Getting there. You know, some real food wouldn’t hurt.”

A nurse had brought Killian his breakfast (which, according to Killian, couldn’t really be labelled as breakfast) shortly after the bathroom excursion and Killian had made no attempt to hide the fact that’s he wasn’t a fan of the hospital diet. It didn’t help his mood to have Emma spoon feeding him either.

“Sorry, mate, Emma said you’re on a bland diet for now,” David says, and Killian pouts adorably.

“’Bland’ is an understatement,” he mutters.

“I’ll talk to the doctor later and see about getting you something a bit more appetizing, alright?” Emma says with a smile.

With what little he’d eaten during his imprisonment, Killian’s stomach likely wouldn’t be able to handle much more than the hospital’s provided food. It didn’t stop him from complaining about it though. Emma feels guilty eating her comparatively delicious meal in front of Killian, but he assures her it’s fine. Snow and David don’t stay long, obviously noticing that Killian’s still tired, and moments after they leave, he’s asleep again.

 ***

Around midday, the doctor stops by to check on Killian. Killian endures the pokes and prods with barely a wince and plenty of banter, until the doctor gets to his hand. As soon as he starts to unwrap the bandage Emma can feel the change come over Killian, the stoic bravado giving way to that same fear as the day he’d been rescued. Sitting at his left side, Emma tries to meet Killian’s eyes but he’s staring intensely straight ahead, muscle rippling across his jawline as he breathes short and sharp through his nose.

“This won’t hurt, Captain,” the doctor assures him, “I’m just going to look, okay?”

“Okay,” Killian repeats tightly.

Emma curls her hand firmly around his left forearm. She’s not sure what to say, not sure if anything she says will even help. Her thumb rubs a gentle pattern over his skin. She doesn’t want to look at Killian’s broken hand any more than he seems to. But it’s not as bad as she’d feared. The swelling had decreased from the last time she saw it (thank God that his captors had removed his rings at some point, so they hadn’t caused more damage as Killian’s fingers swelled up), the stitches small and neat, tape binding his fingers together to hold them in place with a splint. Only his thumb had avoided injury. Killian swallows, his head pressing hard against the pillow. Emma tries again to make eye contact and fails.

“Everything looks good so far,” the doctor says, “I don’t think you need the bandage anymore.”

Killian’s breath catches. His body turns towards Emma slightly, his arm tugging against the doctor’s hold. The doctor releases his hand, and Killian tucks it protectively near his chest.

“The most important thing right now is rest,” the doctor advises.

“When can I get out of here?” Killian asks.

His casual tone belies the tension that’s radiating from his body.

“I’d like you to stay for at least a week, just to make sure the antibiotics do their job properly, and to give your body a little more nourishment. You’re healing well but you’ve been through a lot. It’s going to take some time to get your strength back.”

“Surely you don’t think you can keep me in this bed for a week.” Killian’s voice carries a hard edge of steel now.

Dangerous, and desperate. Emma thinks of a wounded animal caught in a trap. She shifts her hand to Killian’s shoulder and squeezes gently.

“No, of course not,” the doctor says, “You’re free to go for a walk whenever you feel up to it. There’s a nice garden outside, and some fresh air and sunshine will do you good.”

He glances at Emma.

“Just don’t let him push himself too hard.”

Killian’s almost vibrating.

“I can make my own decisions,” he says, his voice too loud in the small room, “And I don’t need to bloody stay here either, I’m not-”

Emma hears his teeth click as he bites down on whatever he was going to say.

“No, you’re not,” the doctor says, as if he knows what Killian was going to say (Emma can make a pretty good guess as well – an invalid. Crippled. Broken.), “but you have been through a traumatic event and you’ve got a pretty nasty injury here. You need time to heal and if you try to do too much, too soon it’s just going to end up making things worse for you in the long run. Do you understand that?”

Killian doesn’t answer, just keeps clenching his jaw and glaring at the doorway. Emma smiles at the doctor in what she hopes is a reassuring way. She gets the feeling it’s more like a grimace though.

“He’ll be okay,” she says, “I’ll look after him.”

The doctor doesn’t look convinced, but he nods anyway and turns to leave.

“My hand,” Killian says suddenly and his voice cracks on the second word, his demeanour no longer angry, “Will I ever… get full use of it again?”

“Oh, yes, I believe so. Sorry, I thought you knew. You’ll need physical therapy but yes, it should heal almost as good as before.”

“Almost as good?”

“Captain, I’m sure don’t need to remind you that there was a lot of damage done. Modern medicine is a marvellous thing but… we can only do so much.”

Emma can feel Killian starting to tremble. Thankfully, the doctor decides to give them some privacy now, because it seems the pirate is reaching the end of what he can endure.

“Alright, I’ll check in on you guys later, okay?”

The moment the door closes behind the doctor Killian makes a sound, a soft noise of suffering Emma can’t put a name to.

“Killian?” Emma says worriedly, “Are you okay?”

Killian barks out a mirthless laugh and raises his hand like he wants to scrub his gathering tears away, but of course he can’t, and he looks so hurt by that realization.

“No, I’m not bloody okay,” he says angrily, “They destroyed my damn hand. My only hand, Swan. They’ve crippled me.” He lets out a shaky breath. “Gods, they broke me.”

And there it is. Emma’s been almost expecting him to break down at some point, but now that it’s happening it shocks her all the same. She reaches for him and he folds into her arms, crying silently, tears quickly soaking into her shirt. There’s only so much a person can take and God, poor Killian’s been through it all. Emma feels her own tears burning hot as they slip from her closed eyes.

“They didn’t break you, Killian,” she says, emotion choking her, “Your hand is going to be okay. You’re going to be okay.”

He has his arms around her, a little awkwardly because he’s trying not to bump his hand on anything, his face pressed into her shoulder. Her hand cradles the back of his head, holding him close.

“I’m sorry, Emma,” he says, his voice cracking, “I’m so sorry, I tried…”

“No, it’s okay. Don’t apologize. Just let it out, Killian, I’ve got you.”

Killian mumbles something else but Emma can’t make it out. She just keeps murmuring assurances through her own tears and holding Killian until he’s able to calm down again. He’s clearly exhausted from his outburst and the subsequent breakdown, because within a few minutes of lying down again he’s drifted into a deep, surprisingly peaceful sleep.

To be continued...

[hazyheel]

WWE NXT 8/21/19 Review

Undisputed Era Promo: Adam Cole started things out by saying that he did everything that he said he would do. He put himself over as the greatest NXT Champion of all time. Roddy then said that the entire stable deserves to be draped in gold, and said that everyone got screwed in their matches. Roddy Strong said that Velveteen Dream didn’t pin him, so he should still be in the title picture. Kyle O’Reilly pointed out that the illegal man was pinned in their tag match at Takeover Toronto. Bobby Fish then called out William Regal, and told him to make it right. Cole then put over all of the stable, telling them that they will win their championships back sooner rather than later. 

As they were walking to the back, Jordan Myles came out with his NXT Breakout Tournament contract. Cole then asked if he was joking, and told him that he would break his face if he challenged him. Then he suggested that he challenge Shayna Baszler, or one of the other champions on the developmental brands. Cole told him that challenging Cole would be a total mistake, and that he would make him into a failure. Myles then handed the contract over, and dropped it to make him sign it. 

Grade: B. Fine promo, Cole has waaaay more charisma than anyone else in the stable, but they were all such annoying jocks that it didn’t matter. Cole’s promo against Myles was really good. He was intimidating and felt like a huge star. He put down every other champion, and did it in a way that elevated him rather than hurting them. This is definitely a match that I’m looking forward to, although they later announced that it will take place on NXT TV rather than on Takeover. Highlight of the night.

Bronson Reed backstage: Reed talked about how he wants to continue getting some opportunities, when Shane Thorne confronted him and asked for a match. That was confirmed. Also, Reed called himself the resident thicc boi of NXT, so that happened. 

Damian Priest vs. Mansoor: They talked about how Mansoor won the 50 battle royal earlier this year, which I completely forgot about. Priest put Mansoor in the corner, and absolutely refused to pack down, but Mansoor showed his courage by pushing him away. As Priest beat down the more inexperienced star, Mansoor got a rollup, and then started to get some offense in, until Priest scored a huge kick. Priest finished him off with The Reckoning and the win.

Grade: C+. Inoffensive squash, cool to see Mansoor. Priest is getting a generic heel push that will probably result in a North American championship match. 

Mia Yim vs. Vanessa Borne: Aliyah accompanied her partner to the ring, and remained in her corner. They started with a lockup, but Yim gained the advantage with a stiff strike right away. That is until Aliyah went to trip him up, and Borne took advantage with a Samoan drop. Yim quickly worked her way back into the match and won with Protect Ya Neck. 

After the match, Shayna Baszler showed up and stood at the top of the entrance ramp. She got on the mic and called her a badass, and put her over for all the adversity she overcame. Then Baszler offered her to become an ally, alongside Marina Shafir and Jessamyn Duke. Yim rejected it, so Shafir and Baszler attacked. Duke had an arm injury. Refs had to run in and break things up. 

Grade: C+. Inoffensive squash and a needed win for Mia Yim after her high profile loss. The little promo from Baszler was fine, but Yim rejecting the offer wasn’t in doubt. I don’t think that they will go back to this well for the next Takeover, but maybe they will. Who knows.

Bronson Reed vs. Shane Thorne: I really do not know why “resident thicc boi” is a nickname for Reed, but I guess it is. It is neither cool, nor menacing in any way. Thorne opted to target Reed’s huge legs with some well placed kicks, trying to break down the much bigger man. The second that Reed got ahold of Thorne, he tore him to the ground and started some submission work on the arm. At one point, the two were running the ropes and Reed caught him in a sit out spinebuster for a near fall. It looked really good. Every time that Reed took control back, Thorne was able to fight back with his striking and a bit of flying, but he was no match for the raw strength and size of Reed. In the finish, Reed went up top for the senton, but Thorne pulled him off and nailed a running knee for the win.

Grade: B-. Fine match, a lot of back and forth. The two blended together pretty well, but it was a slower match than I am normally into. The two were striking each other with really nice hits, but they never kicked into second gear. I like this story for Thorne, but I still wish that he would leave and join New Japan again. Mikey Nicholls needs a tag partner. 

Velveteen Dream promo: He road out on his sofa throne, in full ring gear. He announced his t-shirt, and a bunch more of his merch. He told Roderick Strong that if he wants a rematch, it needs to have a stipulation that he has never been in. He told him not to take long though, because he may just move on. Interesting. I’m not going to grade this because it was pretty short and was basically a backstage segment anyway. 

Killian Dain vs. Matt Riddle: Finally, we are getting this match. Before the match, Riddle ambushed Dain from behind, and started the match as fast as he could. The two big men beat the crap out of each other, and just traded heavy strikes over and over. By the time Dain actually got control of things in a decisive manner, the match slowed down quite a bit. Dain worked over the already injured ribs of Riddle, which he had taped up as he came out to the ring. At one point, Riddle hit an awesome high angle German suplex for a near fall. He then spun Dain out for a knee, only for Dain to immediately hit a shotgun dropkick, followed by a cannonball for another near fall. Dain then went for a senton, but Riddle locked in a sleeper hold, only for Dain to toss him out. Riddle then hit the Bro To Sleep, a powerbomb, and a Flash Knee, but still only a near fall. Riddle then went for a move onto the steel steps, but Dain dropped him face first onto it, followed by a senton onto it. Dain then hit a Vader bomb on the outside, followed by three in the ring for the win.

After the match, Riddle stormed up the stage and attacked Dain as the cameras cut. 

Grade: C-. I wasn’t into this match. Dain didn’t really impress me a lot here, and Riddle seemed to have to slow down for him, and it made for a fun hoss fight at times, but mostly it was just two big guys hitting each other sometimes. Dain didn’t live up to my expectations, but maybe I set them too high. 

Overall Grade: C+

Pros: opening promo

Cons: main event

[bucklesomeswashswan]

Once Upon a December (4/10)

Summary: Emma doesn’t remember much of her past, all she knows is she needs to get out of Misthaven. The mysterious group called the Industrialists continues to gain power and control since they overthrew the royal family over a decade ago. Out of options, Emma joins forces with a conman Killian and his partner Ruby in their plot to pass her off as the lost princess of Misthaven. But as they travel together and Killian and Ruby try to teach her how to be a princess, Emma begins to uncover hidden pieces of her past. When threats start closing in around them will she choose to escape to safety or risk everything to find her family and reveal a dangerous secret that could change history forever?

Rating:  M

Story content warning: some descriptions of violence, slow burn

Part of @captainswanbigbang 2018. Updates every Saturday!

Chapter 1 | Chapter 2 | Chapter 3 also read it on AO3

Check out the artwork for this fic by the amazing and talented @prongsie! Thank you to my beta reader @csobsessed-21!

Thanks to everyone for reading and liking and reblogging! And thank you so much to everyone who has reached out to tell me what you think! All the love is amazing and appreciated!

Chapter 4:  Things I Almost Remember

Killian’s shoulder throbbed as he slumped back against the train car door. He slid down against cold steel walls to the floor. The wheels bumped rhythmically along the tracks sending shudders up through the car into his bones. He grit his teeth. Gods above. It felt like something was stabbing him in his shoulder again and again with each vibration. He reached back with his good hand and felt blood, warm and slick, soaking into his jacket. Damn.

He glanced at the others, Ruby was chattering nervously, fussing over Emma. He could see that she was shaken up but unharmed. He tried not to overanalyze the relief that brought him, just as he wasn’t going to think about how his first thought when he’d heard the gunshots had been of Emma. Not Ruby, not Robin and the others, not even himself.

“Well, we don’t have to worry about the bags we left behind,” Ruby was saying. “We ought to be able to find whatever we need here.”

Killian took in the crates and stacks of trunks packed around them. They had ended up in the baggage car. His first choice probably would have been the dining car, but this was admittedly more inconspicuous.

“Do you think Robin and the Merry Men are okay?” Emma asked. Ruby frowned glancing at him briefly before answering.

“They’ll be okay, they’ve dealt with that kind of thing before,” she said but Killian could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

They had known those men for years. The Merry Men were likely the single largest resistance group in Misthaven. Without the goods they smuggled in many of the people would never have survived the harsh winters. If they were taken down…. Killian didn’t want to think about what it would mean for those left behind.

So much of his country was broken and suffering. It made it difficult to sit back and let it fade away behind him lost down miles of track. They had made it out and now Misthaven was barricaded behind heavily guarded borders. He would probably never see it again. Despite all the misery it had brought him, in a way it would always be his home.

He rolled his shoulder, the pull on the muscles made his wound come to life with a burning rage. He sucked in a small breath trying not to cry out, trying not to alarm the other two.

“Killian?” a voice said. “Are you alright?”

He looked up to see Emma kneeling down in front of him. It startled him. He had been expecting to see Ruby.

“It’s my shoulder,” he said gesturing vaguely. Emma frowned.

All the gunshots, it would have been a miracle if they had all gotten out unscathed. He leaned forward a little, turning just enough for her to see the stain spreading over his back.

“It just needs to be cleaned and dressed,” he said but he was looking over Emma to where Ruby standing. They had been patching each other up since they were kids. Ruby’s brows pulled down as her eyes flicked between his face and his shoulder.

“I’ll find something we can use as bandages,” Ruby said already turning and moving off to disappear among the crates to dig through the suitcases and trunks.

“Let me help you,” Emma said quietly, pulling his attention back to her.

He hesitated, searching her wide green eyes for any reason not to trust her, but he was met with nothing but reassurance. For years he had prided himself on his ability to read people, to know when a deal or job was going to go south. Just a look and he would know what someone was planning, what they were hiding. But Emma was different, there was an openness to her that he had never encountered. It wasn’t a naivety or innocence, it was a truth, and it shone from within her, unable to be contained. It drew him in like gravity.

Slowly he eased his jacket off his shoulders. It was difficult to maneuver without jostling the torn tissue in his shoulder. His elbow caught in his sleeve and he hissed as pain shot up his arm. Emma lurched forward, her hands gently replacing his.

“Let me,” she murmured helping him remove his jacket. With the weight of the thick leather gone it was easier to breathe and he took a moment to draw in a few careful deep breaths.

“We need to remove your shirt too,” Emma said her tone a little thin, and he glanced up in time to see a blush bloom across her cheeks.

“Should have known you’d try to get me naked,” he teased raising an eyebrow but it only made her blush turn a shade darker.

“I- I’m just trying to assess the wound,” she said, the words tripping over each other. Nervous, he was making her nervous. He bit back a smile.

“Mmhmm,” he hummed but he started to work the buttons on his waistcoat open.

His mechanical hand clicked with each small movement of the metal fingers and he saw her watching it. Feeling suddenly embarrassed and alien he switched to using only his right hand even if it was slower.

“It’s okay,” she said gently placing a reassuring hand on his arm. He met her gaze for a moment.

Emma reached out tentatively and helped him pull his shirt over his head. He turned his back to her bearing his wound for her inspection. For a long moment she was silent behind him, a change from her reassuring words a moment ago. He suddenly worried the damage to his shoulder might have been worse than he originally thought.

And then she touched him.

Her fingers brushed feather light against him but it was like an electric shock through him. He jerked in surprise and her fingers disappeared.

“I’m sorry,” she breathed from behind him.

He shook his head not turning around. “I just wasn’t expecting it,” he said.

He shut his eyes as he steeled himself for the contact to return. He braced himself for that same thrilling jolt.

She started at the crest of his shoulder her gentle touch tracing down toward the wound making the muscles there tense. He concentrated on breathing: in and out. Warmth radiated over his skin where her touch lingered. Every one of his nerves seemed to spark and stutter. The feeling wasn’t pain exactly, it was like sunshine on a summer day, the brush of a cool breeze, the flare of ecstasy, her touch was intoxicating. It was burning away all his ability to form a thought. She skirted the frayed edges of skin and he flinched.

“It’s not too deep,” Emma said. It was meant to be comforting but her voice was strained. He wondered if this was affecting her too.

He didn’t trust himself to speak so he merely nodded, his eyes still closed tightly. Her hand drifted again, moving down lower on his back, each inch she traced making his stomach clench. He wondered if dying might be easier than this torture.

“I couldn’t find much,” Ruby’s voice said making them both jump. Emma’s hand pulled away leaving his skin suddenly cold. “But I’ve got a sewing kit and a cotton shirt we can tear up.”

Killian swallowed thickly and cleared his throat. “This ought to be fun,” he muttered.

Emma reached out to Ruby. “I can do it,” she said softly.

Ruby blinked in surprise, her eyes shifting to him. He could read the question in them, but he was as surprised as she was. Just a couple days ago Emma had been a stranger, just another face in the city, and now she was asking them to trust her. It wasn’t something either of them were used to. But he gave Ruby a small nod.

She fixed Emma with a warning stare that could have withered more fragile souls, and slowly she passed the supplies she had found to her. Killian glanced away, he wasn’t used to Ruby getting territorial over him. She must have been more shaken up by the ambush at the border more than he had thought.

“Are you ready?” Emma asked him and he looked from her to the threaded needle in her hand.

He swore under his breath. “Any chance you found rum?” he asked Ruby but she just chuckled and walked away.

“Just try thinking of something else, something nice,” Emma suggested. “It helps.”

His brows raised in question. “Have you done this before?”

She shrugged, a gesture more nonchalant than Killian thought this situation warranted. “There weren’t many healers where I lived. You find ways to treat and mend people, to keep going”

He took a deep breath, if he over thought this he’d never go through with it. “Okay, let’s go.”

Emma moved toward him again and he turned around to give her access to his shoulder. “I’m sorry in advance,” she said as she laid a hand on him to steady herself.

The needle made its first pass through his skin and he cringed letting out a groan. The thread pulled at his torn skin. His wound burned, stinging pain slicing through him. He clenched his fist in the fabric of his pants gripping it until his knuckles turned white.

Emma grip on him tightened in response and he felt her falter pausing for a moment. He took a few quick shallow breaths hoping she finished quickly, hoping he didn’t pass out.

“I- I used to have these dreams,” she said softly, the words quiet at first but finding their confidence. “Dreams of gilded carriages pulled by horses with gleaming coats and shining harnesses, snow storms and cold wind against a window, the taste of raspberry tarts, and cherry blossoms in the spring.”

Killian knew she was just talking to keep them both calm, but he appreciated the gesture. He tried to concentrate on her voice. The gentle tone, the soft memories.

“And then I would wake up and it would all fade. I used to wonder where the dreams came from. They were like something from someone else’s life. I’ve never even had a raspberry tart. When I was young I wondered if they were some of the memories I had lost, and I used to think it meant I might be remembering some of what happened. But after a few years I still didn’t have any real memories from my childhood, and I know now I probably never will.”

Killian grit his teeth as the needle made another stitch. Perhaps some pain was not meant to be remembered. Maybe she was better off not knowing what happened to her, how she had lost her family, how she had ended up alone.

But they were counting on her being the princess, or at least pretending to be. Maybe these dreams were as good a place as any to start. Cracks in the wall hiding her memories. If there were cracks then maybe they could break through and help her remember.

“I used to imagine my family,” Emma continued. “My parents, caring and loving. In my mind they would laugh a lot and they would be in love. I always wondered if they might be looking for me.”

He wasn’t sure if it was his imagination but a numbness started to spread over his skin from the place her hand was resting against his back holding him. As if her touch was somehow easing a little of the pain, and it was a blessed small relief. He tried to relax his tightly coiled muscles a little.

“All lost children wonder about their parents, why they left them, where they are,” Killian said gruffly the words coming in groups between his ragged breaths.

Emma absorbed his words, as if she could sense a little of his own grim childhood that gave the weight of truth to his tone. “I suppose.”

He looked over his shoulder at her. She was staring off, remembering something he couldn’t see. But then she caught his glance and cleared her throat before returning to her work.

It only took a few more stitches before Emma breathed a sigh and leaned away from him. “It’s done.”

He stayed still, afraid to disrupt the wound. The stitches were only mending thread, and Emma was hardly a surgeon.

“It’s okay, Killian,” she said noticing his stiff posture, “You can move.”

He turned to her slowly carefully shifting his weight. He was very aware of the way her eyes flicked down to his bare chest, a little warmth flaring in his stomach. Another blush tinted her cheeks.

“Thank you, Emma,” he said. His voice seemed to startle her and she glanced up at him before looking away.

“It was nothing,” she said dismissively fiddling with the thread.

He reached out gathering her hand in his own. “It wasn’t nothing,” he told her. “Thank you.”

She nodded, looking down at their hands where they lay against her knee. It was the first time he had been so close to her. His eyes traced her delicate features. The long thick eyelashes nearly brushing her rounded cheeks. The flare of her cheekbones, the curve of her lips. In that moment he wanted nothing more than to lean forward and kiss her. To feel the soft brush of her lips against his.

He leaned just little closer to her and her eyes flashed between his before falling to his lips. Maybe she wanted to kiss him too. It felt like time slowed and he could see it his mind: the brush of his nose against her cheek as he closed the distance between them. She would tense at first, a little surprised perhaps, but then she would let out a small breath and she’d move closer to him. The gentle of press of her against him as he gathered her closer, his hand lifting to her cheek, the tips of his fingers in her golden hair. With a tilt of her head she’d open her lips and he’d deepen the kiss. The only thing that would exist would be Emma, and-

She pulled her hand gently away and stood up shocking him out of his thoughts like cold water poured over him. Killian watched her from the floor. She didn’t meet his gaze as she gathered up the sewing kit and turned, leaving him alone.

He pressed his fingers into the corner of his eyes. “Get it together,” he muttered under his breath. Two days with a pretty girl and he was daydreaming up fantasies like a schoolgirl.

~*~

Emma took her time winding the extra thread around the spool and carefully repacking the sewing kit. She needed something occupy her hands, something to concentrate on. Otherwise her mind would wander back to the feel of Killian’s warm skin and the firm muscles underneath. The sight of him sitting tensely shirtless in front of her. If she stopped moving her hands she would wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t walked away. That burning look in his eyes, the way his gaze had lingered on her lips.

“Thank you,” Ruby said appearing beside her startling her. “I know he won’t say it, so I’m going to.”

Emma looked at her. It was the first time she had seen Ruby soften, a little of her hard exterior slipping away. 

“You don’t have to worry,” Emma said closing the sewing kit. “He actually already thanked me. And besides, it was nothing.”

Ruby blinked, a look of surprise settling over her features. “He thanked you?” she asked in disbelief.

“Well yeah, I had just stitched him up.” 

Ruby shook her head with a chuckle. “He never thanks anyone, usually just plays it off with a witty comment and a sly grin. He doesn’t like to admit he needs help.”

“Oh,” Emma joked, “I wouldn’t have let him get away with that.”

Ruby raised an eyebrow, an expression Emma would have bet every last silver in her purse she had picked up from Killian. “Well it’s good we found you. He needs someone who will put him in his place.”

“I thought that was you,” Emma said.

Ruby just laughed. “Come on,” she said waving for Emma to follow her. “I’ve set up a place for us to sleep for a few hours. And in the morning we get to work on you.”

“Me?”

“Princesses aren’t born they’re made,” Ruby said looking her up and down. “And we’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Emma glanced down at herself. Sure, she might not look the part of a princess yet, but she wasn’t a disaster. “Actually,” she muttered, “princesses are born.”

Ruby grinned her sly grin. “Well you better hope, just this once, it’s possible to make one. Get some sleep, Your Highness.”

Emma shuffled off in the direction she was pointing. At the far end of the train car Ruby had laid out some blankets for them to sleep on. Killian was already asleep on his stomach. Emma could see the stain from his blood still on the shoulder of his shirt, again the thought of her hands on him made her stomach flutter. 

She settled down as far away from him as possible and tried to let the rhythm of the train rock her to sleep.

For hours she tossed and turned, sitting up to punch the bundle of cloth into a more comfortable pillow. She closed her eyes and counted her breaths, she tried to remember the sound of the gentle waves on the shore by the fishing village where she had lived. She tried to imagine the stars on a cloudless night. The sound of wind through a field of wildflowers. Nothing seemed to work, the slightest jerk of the train, a slight movement of the others beside her, and she was jolted awake.

She was sure she hadn’t slept at all before Ruby was shaking her. “Good morning, Princess. Time to get to work.”

Emma groaned and tried to burrow back into the blankets. Ruby snatched them off giving her a pat on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”

With a huff she eased up into a sitting position, rubbing at her eyes. “The only reason I’m doing this is because I’m pretty sure once I’m a princess you can’t force me to wake up before I want to,” she muttered.

Ruby smiled. “Yeah, yeah, come on, breakfast is waiting.”

It turned out breakfast was not something to get excited over either. Just more of the bread and cheese they had been eaten the night before, although now a little tougher and stale. Another reminder she definitely wasn’t a princess yet. Emma chewed on a crust of bread until her cheek muscles hurt. “So, what are we going to be learning?”

Ruby eyed the way she had spoken with food still in her mouth. “Well, we certainly have plenty to do with your table manners.”

Emma playfully shoved her and swallowed. “My manners are fine.”

“Sure, for a black bear,” Ruby snickered.

Emma rolled her eyes. “What makes you such an expert on royal etiquette?”

Ruby swallowed and took her time before she met Emma’s eyes. “I spent some time in court,” she said. Emma thought she might elaborate more but she simply grabbed up the rest of the bread and took a bite. 

“Let’s skip table manners for a moment. What else do I have to know?” Emma asked.

Killian appeared and sat down beside them pulling a large book from Ruby’s bag. He glanced at Emma before passing the book to Ruby. She opened the engraved cover and flipped through the thick pages.

“This book documents all the noble families of Misthaven as well as surrounding lands. The Princess would have been taught geography, important cities and important people from all the neighboring countries. She would have been a diplomat, a public figure, and future leader.”

Emma blew out a breath as she sized up the thick spine of the book. “I need to learn all of this?” she asked feeling a little sick.

“Oh no,” Ruby said and Emma relaxed until she continued. “You will need to know much more than just this book.”

Emma laughed bitterly. “What did I agree to?”

Ruby gave an understanding smile. “It’s alright, Emma. We’ll start slow. We have plenty of time, you’ll get it.”

She appreciated that, and she rolled her shoulders shaking off the exhaustion from a poor night of sleep and all her doubts. “Okay, let’s get started.”

Ruby beamed and Emma glanced at Killian to see a small smile pulling at his lips. 

They spent the morning working through the geography of Misthaven. And then moved on to prominent families that the princess would have known. The Nolan family, related to royal family by the marriage of King David Nolan to the Queen. The Nolans had held an Earldom in DunBroch. There was the French family who were stewards in the south, a province of farmland that fed most of the country. The Phrygia family that included the Duke of Gordium, they were extremely rich and powerful. They had aligned with the Industrialists early on and had weathered the revolt mostly untouched and still remained influential to that day. There were rumors that without investment by the Phrygia family the Industrialists would have never gotten off the ground. And of course, the Blanchard family, the Royal Family. They had ruled Misthaven for over six centuries.

Emma stared at the branching family trees. Generations and generations, children and parents, different marriages that sometimes tied families together blurring all the family trees until it was a jumble in her mind. Blanchard, Nolan, French, Phrygia, Boyd, Dantes, Tremaine, Morgan. She chanted the names over and over trying to commit them to memory.

At sunset Ruby opened the train car door a little, enough to let in a little fresh air and let them see a little of the scenery as it flashed by. The forest was already thinning a little from what it had been in Misthaven. 

“Feeling overwhelmed yet?” Killian asked sitting down beside her.

Emma smiled down at her hands in lap. “Would you pitch me off the train if I said yes?” 

She saw Killian shake his head beside her. “It would be completely normal to be.”

Overwhelmed didn’t seem nearly a strong enough word to describe the slightly nauseous feeling settling in her stomach. 

“Sometimes it helps to concentrate on the reasons you’re doing this,” Killian suggested.

Emma glanced at him before looking out at the trees moving past. “When it seemed my lost family wasn’t coming to find me my only goal became leaving. There has always been this part me that believed if I could just get on an airship and leave Misthaven then everything would be alright. Well, it hasn’t worked out exactly as I had imagined, and I’m not any closer to finding out who I am, in fact, now I’m giving everything I have to try to become someone else.”

Killian was quiet for a moment, the two of them watching the world steadily roll by them. She appreciated that about him, he actually listened, and never rushed his response, never settling for easy platitudes.

“As someone who has pretended to be many things,” he said finally, “you can learn quite a lot about yourself by being someone else.” 

“What I am learning is that I am definitely not a princess,” Emma muttered. 

“Maybe not yet,” he said. “But you’ll get there.”

Emma shot him a disbelieving look. 

He smiled. “I mean it, Emma. Focus on the things you have common. Start there, that is the foundation, and then build the details from there.”

“And what do we have in common?” Emma asked sarcastically. “Blonde hair?”

Killian shifted, facing her more fully. His gaze floated over her as he considered her carefully. Emma felt her heart speed up a little under his scrutiny. “You are determined, you don’t let anything control you- not your past, not your fears. You care about others. And you are a leader, not an overbearing or tyrannical one, but still you have gotten Ruby and I to do everything you’ve asked since we met. Don’t think I haven’t noticed.”

Emma was taken aback by his assessment and the utter sincerity with which he said it. She sorted through each of his comments. Determined, well, she had to be or she would have died in some ditch beside a country road long ago. She cared about others, but didn’t everyone? The one she had the most trouble accepting was that she was a leader. When she thought of leaders she thought of military generals, or conquerors, or queens. And she had never been one of those. No one had ever listened to her, or followed her, or paid her any attention. She was tempted to not believe him, but so far he had seemed to have annoyingly accurate sense of her. Maybe he had somehow managed to see a part of her she hadn’t even known existed.

“I don’t know about you,” he said gently, “but I think someone with those qualities would make a fine princess, regardless of how well she can recite the names and members of the noble families.”

She felt the corner of her lips pull up into a small smile. “Thank you,” she said and he nodded in response.

“Although I’m afraid Ruby may not be satisfied with just the basics. She is going to insist on making sure you are perfect down to the last detail,” he warned glancing over his shoulder at where Ruby was thoughtfully flipping through the pages of a new book. 

The next day they dove into history. Misthaven, they told her, had been a prosperous country for generations, known for its trade and textiles. It had one of the few kingdoms to take steps to institute programs to help the less fortunate. The Queen herself had been known to go out and visit hospitals and had worked closely with organizations to help provide education for a variety of vocations. She had raised the university to one of international renown. She also had a special love of animals, from the horses in the royal stables to the wild animals and birds in the woods. The royal family had been well liked, but none more than the Princess. She had been a kind girl with a sharp sense of humor and sense of mischief. There were even reports she had possessed powerful light magic. The people had hoped she would grow into a leader who might even surpass her parents. Many had had high hopes for the future of Misthaven.  It had been a place of opportunity and promise. But where opportunities existed there was also the potential for exploitation. 

“And that was when Gold appeared,” Killian said. “He had been an unknown inventor when he started sharing his inventions and ideas. In no time he was hailed as an innovator. Everyone jumped at the chance to integrate his ideas. To use steam power to change the way goods were made and how people traveled. He took the idea behind a horse and cart and mechanized it and made it self-propelled. He proposed using gas to create lights that were more efficient than candles. Soon there wasn’t an industry that wasn’t begging him for his ideas.”

Emma furrowed her brow trying to remember what they were describing. Had she been in the city as it had rapidly undergone massive change? Had she watched as the gas conduits had been installed until every night the windows filled with the brighter glow from the gas lamps. The whir and clack of machines taking the place of smiths and cobblers. But no matter how much she wracked her mind she couldn’t remember a world before the revolt.

“And then the next step was for Gold to start inviting others striving for innovation to join him. Together the leaders of every industry formed the Industrialist Guild. They gained influence quickly. But in secret, unknown to anyone, Gold had other plans. Behind everyone’s backs he had created an army, the blackguards, to carry out his will. He equipped them with his mostly deadly inventions and when the time was right he struck”

“He killed the Royal Family,” Emma said softly.

“So we were told. Mutilated bodies washed ashore in the harbor that were identified as the King and Queen, but there was never any trace of Princess Emma,” Ruby said. Killian looked away running a hand over his face before resting his chin on his palm.

“At first it seemed like everything might go back to normal,” Ruby said her gaze a hundred miles away as she remembered it. “Those first few weeks everything had changed and everyone was scared but it seemed the raids and riots had passed. I think everyone wanted to believe it was over. People threw themselves back into their work and their jobs, clinging to normalcy. But it wasn’t long before the Industrialists came for the nobles, anyone who might have sympathy for the royals. They sent them away, or made them disappear. Dukes and Lords who had watched out for their people and tenants were gone. When there was no one with the authority to challenge them the Industrialists began to push their ideas onto everyone: the way of science over old world magic. 

“There was a small push back but even that died out because at that time it seemed the Industrialists might have been right. Just after the revolt Gold started introducing the most amazing inventions, feats of engineering, things no one thought were possible. It seemed like there wasn’t a problem that wouldn’t have an answer within a few years. People were quick to join in the condemnation of magic. They began to blame magic for holding them back all along. And soon we were rounding up anyone who practiced magic. They were taken for questioning, for ‘re-education’, or conversion and reintegration into society. Whatever it was they said they were doing to help or rehab those with magic, the truth was they were never seen again. And when everyone stopped questioning that, stopped questioning their authority, the Industrialists completely seized power and instituted their own self-serving laws.”

“It started small,” Killian said. “Curfews, a census, new taxes. Then the regulations: all merchants needed to be registered to do business, no craftsman could operate without the express permission of the Industrialist Guild, only those within the Guild could pursue education at the University. Then the borders were closed and they took control of the newspapers and mail.”

“Systemized oppression,” Emma said. “That I do remember. It wasn’t quite as bad in the country but people were always fearful.”

“The cities were crawling with spies and informants for the Industrialists. For most people it was the only way to make money or gain favor of the Guild. It turned people against their friends and drove deep divisions between people. What was once a place known for its compassion and opportunity became a pit of deceit and corruption.”

“If it was so bad, why didn’t you leave? You had the means.” Emma asked them.

Ruby glanced at Killian who was watching Emma with an unreadable expression. Ruby seemed to decide she would have to speak for both of them. “It was still home.”

Emma acknowledged that sentiment but she didn’t accept it. “What changed? Why leave now?”

“You appeared,” Killian said his piercing gaze still pinning her in place. She could tell it wasn’t a lie.

“And just like that it wasn’t home anymore?” Emma pressed. She had spent all her life looking for someplace to call home. What would she offer that would make them leave their home? 

“Well, it’s a little more complicated than that,” Ruby said. “We’ve been skirting regulations for years, bending the laws, drawing a bit outside the lines. Eventually it was going to catch up with us. And with Killian’s history with Gold-”

“Ruby,” he cut her off. “That’s enough.”

Both Emma and Ruby turned to him in surprise. Emma snatched at that little fragment of information. So Killian had history with Gold, the head of the Industrialists, and yet he seemed to have no love for him or the Guild. So something bad had happened between them. It now seemed doubly impressive that he and Ruby had slipped through their fingers all this time.

“It was time to leave,” Ruby said in conclusion. It was clearly only a part of the story, but apparently it was all she was going to get.

A shudder ran through the train, the cars jolting, and then there was a grinding screech as the brakes engaged.

“We’re stopping,” Emma said looking around. “We can’t be in Glowerhaven already.”

“We’re not,” Killian said pulling the pistol out from his belt.

Ruby snapped the book shut and set it aside looking at Killian. They shared a loaded look.

“You think they’re stopping because of us?” Ruby asked him.

“I think that’s a fair assumption,” he said looking around at the bags and trunks in the car. “Did you find any weapons in all of this?” he asked.

Ruby grinned and walked over to a wooden crate. She kicked the lid off revealing a shotgun and a case of shells packed carefully within it. “Like this?” she asked him.

Killian looked from the shotgun in the crate to Emma. “Do you know how to use this?” he asked grabbing it and holding it out to her.

She shrugged. “I’ve done a lot of hunting.”

He smirked. “Country girl,” he muttered passing the gun to her.

“City boy,” she replied as she took it weighing it her hand and loading shells into it with a practiced hand.

“If you two are done flirting,” Ruby said from the front of the car, “we have a major problem.”

“What is it?” Killian asked moving to join her but not before Emma saw him nervously rub behind his ear at Ruby’s comment.

“They’ve uncoupled the cars,” Ruby said pointing out the door where Emma could see the rest of the train steaming ahead down the track leaving them behind.

“They knew we were in here,” Killian said. 

Ruby clenched her jaw. A caged wolf. “What the hell do we do?”

“Your little adventure is at an end,” A voice said from behind making them all jump. “There’s no point fighting.”

Four blackguards materialized from the shadows moving in unison as they circled around them.

“Like hell,” Emma growled as she raised the shotgun and shot straight at the leader’s heart. The shot disintegrated into dust when it hit the blackguard’s vest. She fired again watching that shot fail as well before she hesitated.

“I told you there was no point in fighting,” the leader snarled. “Drop your weapons.”

Killian took a step forward moving in front of her and Ruby protectively. He made a show of placing the pistol on the floor. “What is it you want?” he asked. “We have committed no crimes here.”

The leader laughed, a dark steely sound. “You’re stowaways on this train.”

Emma tightened her grip on her gun.

Killian seemed to hesitate for a moment before switching tactics. “You have no authority here. We aren’t in Misthaven anymore.”

The blackguard just shook his head in something close to pity. “This train is property of the Industrialist Guild. We are enforcing the policy of no unauthorized travel over the Misthaven border using Guild property. And we’re not even taking any of your other crimes into consideration.”

“How kind of you,” Killian said pleasantly, but as he spoke his hand drifted to his belt and he slid out a small dagger. 

With a quick flick of his wrist the dagger flew and sank into the blackguard’s throat, a rush of blood pouring from the wound.

The other three blackguards watched in shock for a moment as their leader crumpled to the ground.

Killian spun, turning to her and Ruby. “Go!” he shouted pointing past Emma to the open door.

Emma barely had a second to react before the three remaining blackguards surged forward to stop them escaping. One of them tackled her to the floor knocking the gun from her hands. She heard a gunshot echo loudly in the train car and she hoped Killian and Ruby were okay. Killian fighting with his wounded shoulder.

Emma grunted as the blackguard pinned her down, his knee pressing into her thigh. She writhed trying squirm free. 

“That’s right,” he murmured lewdly, “just like that, girl.”

Emma’s blood curdled. She pulled back and slammed her fist into his side with everything she had. He grunted, distracted for a split second and she cracked her forehead against his temple. His grip loosened a fraction and she pushed him off rolling to her knees. She grabbed the shotgun off the floor and pressed it into the side of his neck, unprotected by his armor, the same spot Killian’s knife had struck the leader.

“You’re nothing more than a puppet of a madman,” she said her finger tightening on the trigger.

“You have no idea who you are, do you?” he sneered. She didn’t wait to hear more and instead pulled the trigger turning away from the splatter of blood. She leapt up to help the others. Ruby was trading blows with one of the blackguards, each of them with a knife drawn. She seemed to be holding her own. 

Killian on the other hand was losing ground.  His wound had opened again and she could see the fresh blood staining his shirt. He was trying to compensate with his other arm but it wasn’t his dominant hand and he was sloppy, not landing hits and taking too many.

She reloaded the gun and aimed but she couldn’t get a clear shot. There was a thud as Ruby kicked over her opponent her knife dripping with his blood. That was all the distraction the blackguard needed to strike Killian across the jaw knocking him off balance. He raised his gun pointing it directly at Killian.

“Go!” Killian shouted to them again meeting her eyes instead of protecting himself. He was sacrificing himself to give them time to escape.

Emma could already see it. The shot would strike him between his ribs, it was unlikely to hit his heart but it would tear through his chest. It wouldn’t kill him instantly, but it would be lethal, flooding his lungs. If they ran the blackguard would follow Ruby and her off the train, and Killian would be left behind to die alone.

The image eclipsed everything else in her mind. She knew she should be running but her feet refused to move, the dread and fear immobilizing her. Everything seemed to slow, time stretching. She saw Killian notice her hesitation, she saw the blackguard take his aim, his finger squeezing at the trigger. Killian had less than a second. 

Something woke from deep within her. It spread quickly from the center of her chest. A warmth flooding through her, twisting down her veins like lightning. All at once she was fire and the deadly sea, the strange energy limitless. The feeling pounded through her, a spark flaring to an explosion until with a crack that felt like all her bones splintering, the feeling rushed from her, set free from its cage, igniting the air around her and crackling through the train car. She concentrated on the blackguard as another wave of power rushed through her. She heard his yell as the force snapped his spine. 

And then the feeling faded and Emma felt all her energy draining away. Her muscles shaking and failing, she collapsed to the floor as she gasped for breath. She stared at her hands, they seemed to be glowing, or it could have been stars behind her eyes as her vision blurred, everything going dark at the edges. She was going to pass out. What the hell was happening to her?

And then the train car disappeared from her vision and instead different images flashed before her eyes. Snow drifting against the sides of buildings. Dark windows lining a dimly lit street. The flicker of flames in the distance. The slick stones beneath her slippered feet. She saw two blurred figures bent together. The sound of screaming echoing around her. A black shadow. The smell of phosphor, and the feel of electricity in the air. Hands grabbing her. A sensation like hooks under her skin. Blue eyes. Someone calling her name. Emma. Coldness creeping over her. Emma. Footsteps in the woods.  Woods like the ones she had ridden through on her way to the border. Emma.

“Emma!” a voice called, hands shaking her shoulders. 

She blinked, wanting to hold on to those flashes a little longer. Trying to find the meaning of them. Why did they seem so familiar?

“Emma!” she recognized Killian’s voice now. “Come on, stay with me.”

She lifted her hand to grip his arm weakly. “I’m okay. I’m fine,” she said but the words were muddled. It felt like she was speaking with cotton in her mouth. She tried to open her eyes but it just made her head pound and she swayed.

“Whoa, whoa,” Killian said holding her steady. “I’ve got you.”

It took a moment in the sturdy hold of Killian’s hands for her to feel even a little grounded. The flashes she had seen were fading from her mind leaving only a vague blur, everything fading together but now she was pretty sure his voice and the feel of him was reality.

She looked up at him, noting the worry in his expression. “I thought you were going to die,” she breathed.

He smiled weakly, lifting a hand to brush back a lock of her hair. “I’m okay now,” he paused before adding, “Thanks to you.”

“What happened?” she asked remembering that strange force all around her, the way it had crashed over her. “I felt it.”

He frowned, his brows pulling down.

“It was like…” she struggled to describe it. Magic. But she had never heard of magic that powerful.

“Holy shit, Emma,” Ruby said coming to kneel beside them. Her hand rubbed over Emma’s arm. “Why didn’t you tell us you could do that?”

Emma looked between them. Killian’s apprehensive expression to Ruby’s look of wonder. “I did that?” she asked softly.

Killian nodded. Emma felt lightheaded, it wasn’t possible. It simply wasn’t. “I think I’m going to pass out,” she told them weakly.

Her vision swam and the last thing she felt was Killian pulling her into his chest before everything went black.

[snowbellewells]

Run to Me (in the Dead of Night)

I’m sorry it’s edging towards nine o’clock at night, but I did make my designated day again this week.  They don’t have merely Gold to contend with anymore, and things between Emma and Killian continue to heat up... I hope you’ll enjoy Chapter Three!!

As always, so many thanks to @wingedlioness for the breathtaking banner, and the art that is yet to appear (I can’t wait for you to see it!)

~ by: @snowbellewells

 chapter three ~ rumblings of real trouble

           Despite the blatant innuendo Killian Jones was dropping, even as he remained placidly behind bars, and Emma’s flustered and heated reaction (which both of her friends could certainly pick up as well), Graham did grudgingly turn to head out, mumbling to his new inmate that he had better behave himself and not give Deputy Swan any trouble.  Emma could practically hear Ruby’s eyes roll dramatically in reaction to her brother’s overprotective warning, without even looking at her friend’s face, before Ruby did turn to follow his lead.

           To Jones’ credit, he didn’t fight the sheriff’s edict or respond challengingly at all.  Instead, he offered an almost respectful nod of deference to the other man.  His softly murmured response was genuine when he answered, “Of course, Sheriff.  I wouldn’t think of doing otherwise.”

           The sincere reply seemed to stop Graham’s stalking exit short, his wiry frame practically vibrating with tension, but his shoulders lowering as well before he also bowed his head and let out a breath.  Looking back over his shoulder, eyes stormy but voice calmer and more genial than it had been.  “Thank you,” he stated simply.  “I appreciate that…truly.”

           He then spoke to Emma, clearly deciding he owed her a bit more explanation as well.  “As I’ve thought on it more, I may remember a prisoner named Belle in Regina’s castle back our land.  If she is the same person Gold seeks, I might have an idea where she could be.  I’ll admit that my memories seem to be coming back in pieces instead of all at once, and fuzzily at that.  Maybe because I wasn’t always fully myself when they were made? I don’t know really….but if we find her there, not only will we have found her and have our gambit to offer him, but Gold certainly can’t ask us to hold Mr. Jones on those grounds any longer. If I’m right, he’ll be hunting Mayor Mills instead.”

           Emma nodded her understanding, and Ruby looked galvanized by the lead as well – ready to head off to the rescue and into action.  Moments later, the two of them were gone, and Emma found herself alone in the station with the devastatingly handsome, and more and more irresistible, Killian Jones.  For a few awkward minutes, she attempted to elude his searching, heated gaze.  She could feel it on the back of her head, tingling at the base of her neck, but she was avoiding him, more than a little embarrassed at her obvious attraction being picked up on, and that she knew she couldn’t hide it if she got close to him, let his eyes draw her in once more. Pretending to straighten the mess of her desk, check the phone for messages, and see that more coffee was brewing could all only take so long however.  When Killian’s voice once more reached out to her from across the large, open room, caressing her ear with its low, warm timbre, Emma had little choice but to turn and meet his heated stare head on.

           “Come now, Swan,” he coaxed, beguiling smile on his lips, “don’t ignore me. Interrogate me, punish me for my malfeasance if you must…” at that his eyes glittered with truly salacious temptation and a licking of his chops that did indeed make him look wolfish, “but don’t kill me with boredom.”

           She found herself smirking back, moving closer to his cell in spite of her own resolve, and about to challenge the innuendo he tossed out with a saucy comeback of her own, when suddenly a low rumble vibrated through the building around them; the actual ground beneath her feet rocking unsteadily.  Unsettled to say the least, her heart pounding and eyes seeking out some sort of cause, Emma stumbled forward and grasped the bars of Killian’s cell before her for balance.  Still confused and more than a bit worried, she couldn’t help noting that his hand closed over hers on the metal bar comfortingly; lending her assurance, even as the floor seemed to shift and tremble under her, and it began to look as though the brick outer wall of the station was wobbling and rearranging as well.

           Her eyes finally flew to meet Jones’ intent gaze, hoping he could perhaps explain what was happening.

A dark look crossed his features making him look distinctly foreboding. Emma had the definite sense that he did at least have some suspicion or idea what might be occurring, but before she could gather her voice to ask him, her eyes widened in genuine trepidation as the bricks in the wall nearby did indeed begin to not just shift but fall away.  It was as if, as she watched, stunned, the wall crumbled in the shape of a wide archway, opening the station to the street outside.

           She felt Killian go rigid next to her, again making her almost certain that he knew exactly who or what was coming for them, and that he was absolutely dreading the confrontation.  Already nervous, his reaction made her mouth go totally dry, turning her hand within his grip up to twine her fingers with his in search of a bit more courage with which to steel herself.

           Mere seconds later, two swirling funnels of purple smoke appeared in the opening, clearing gradually to reveal Regina Mills in one of her perfect, sharp skirt suit ensembles and an older, similarly dark-haired, dark-eyed woman beside her dressed in an opulent gown that Emma could only assume was more reminiscent of this other realm everyone else seemed to hail from; it certainly didn’t look like anything she’d ever seen in modern day New England.  Both were cool, composed, and completely unruffled, despite the unbelievable and sudden appearance.  They stepped through the now obviously magic-created gap and with a single gesture of the older woman’s hand, the continued rolling beneath their feet abruptly ceased.

           “Cora,” Emma heard Killian growl angrily at her back, low and under his breath, but indicating to her clearly his wariness and a previous acquaintance that was less than pleasant.  She recalled his recent brief confession to Graham, that this woman was both a powerful sorceress and Regina’s mother, and also the way he himself had reached Storybrooke.

           Reacting almost without thought, and while still clutching his hand, Emma stepped in front of Jones subtly, as if to shield him from direct attack.  Not that she could do much against magic, but this was partially her jail after all.  She wasn’t having someone hurt on her watch; not if she could help it. Beyond that, something fiercely defensive rose inside her.  This man – she didn’t yet know him well – but she sensed a pull, a tie between them that she didn’t want severed.  Though he seemed ruggedly able to care for himself – if he had been alone as long as it seemed, he clearly could – she didn’t want him to stand alone against two dangerous witches.  There wasn’t even a question; she didn’t know exactly why, but what he had shared of his past with Gold made it clear he’d been hurt with magic before, and she wouldn’t merely stand by to let it happen again without trying to help.

           Pressing her mouth into a thin line and planting her feet, even as Killian hissed at her shoulder, tugging at her arm, urging her to step aside, reasoning that if they were there for him he didn’t want her to take his place, Emma focused on staring the two women down resolutely, hoping not to give away any of her doubt or fear.

           The older woman, her dark hair up in some elaborate twist, practically simpered in self-satisfaction at them, her voice a sickening coo, a deceptively sweet warning hidden in friendly greeting.  “Well, Captain, what have we here?  I wondered where my traveling companion had gotten to.  You don’t look as though you’ve done all that well for yourself.”  Her wide, pearly smile seemed polite and magnanimous, but beneath it showed her teeth in an eerily chilling grin.

           Emma scrunched her face up in confusion, not understanding the ‘Captain’ title or her teasingly condescending manner.  Killian however, though she could feel his tension through the bars that separated them, appeared outwardly unconcerned and nonchalant to the woman’s barbs and her veiled threat.  His voice was cool and silky as ever when he responded, “Well, I see that unencumbered by my dissention you’ve found and teamed up with your daughter, as you desired. So it certainly hasn’t held you back any, your Majesty.”

           Emma found herself thrown even more and further confused by the royal honorific Jones offered the woman before them, but before she could question anyone on the finer points of who she was or what was going on, Cora nodded back to them, a light chuckle leaving her that somehow made the hair on Emma’s arms stand on end.

           She inclined her head toward Killian in a subtle gesture of agreement before adding, “You are correct.  Certainly your defection has hardly stopped me.  However,” and here she pursed her lips, clearly taking in both the people who stood before her: their stances, their closeness, and quite possibly even their strong but undefined connection, then cutting briefly to her daughter, who looked cruelly pleased and expectant for what would happen next. “Though I do not take slights or betrayals lightly, you are not the one I’ve come to deal with at present.”

           Though it was Emma who had been lost up to this point, now Killian seemed equally puzzled by his former cohort’s words.  “Pardon me, Love,” he smirked deviously, just as able to simper back at her as she was to put on false charm, “but I’m afraid I don’t quite understand.”

           “Oh no?” the older woman tutted mockingly.  “Well, you see, I came to this little hamlet to make amends with my daughter, which you well remember, Captain.  As it turns out, our family reconciliation is nearly complete.”  She shrugged, looking for all the world as if she had not a care, merely one tiny little chore to accomplish and all of her plans would be achieved.

           Killian, however, knew better than most just how deceptive her pleasant smile could truly be.  He had first met the woman on a mission from Regina to Wonderland – where he had been sent to kill Cora.  Instead, he had nearly lost his own life, felt those clawed fingers squeezing within his chest, and knew that in the case of this mother and daughter, the evil apple had not fallen far at all from the poisonous tree.  Having his life spared by the deceptive and powerful Queen of Hearts had left him with something of a presumed debt, and a knowledge from just enough time spent with her as a compatriot, of how truly dangerous the woman was.  Not for a second did he believe her answer would be anything pleasant, he feigned nonchalance to toss back a casual, “Oh yes? And what is it that two accomplished sorceresses such as yourselves could still need?”

           Unfortunately, Cora Mills seemed to snap instantaneously into deadly seriousness; her coy, teasing manner vanishing from her face.  She suddenly stood right before them, almost nose-to-nose with Emma, sparing merely one more glance with a frightening gleam in her dark eyes for Killian.  “Just a little gift, mind you…a token really…to show my sweet Regina how sincere I am in my desire to make things right – to know her again and be her mother.”

           Something about the woman’s tone of voice, the fiercely capable but also unhinged look on her face made Killian freeze.  He attempted to raise both eyebrows in challenge, as if to ask doubtfully what sort of gift that could possibly be, but he could already tell that she was coiled, ready to strike, and in that instant, he couldn’t force out the words to push her any further.  He could see as clear as day that she was about to make a bold move, and Regina’s smug expression as she watched from the background with sadistic glee only made the inner warning bells of foreboding ring with more intensity.

           Emma was without the benefit of previous dealings and experience with the elder Mills, and so had no such compunction in dealing with their sinister opponent.  Instead, she narrowed her eyes, practically growling back, “Oh yeah?  Well then go for it, Lady,” in a defiant dare that made Killian’s blood run cold at danger it invited.

           Even so, he couldn’t have been prepared for the rapid way Cora’s hand shot straight forward, somehow penetrating Emma’s chest with sudden violence, and causing Swan to cry out in stunned pain despite her former toughness. Delving about within the golden siren’s body before him with a terrifying purpose he knew all too well, Killian barely choked back his own desperate protest, not wanting to make the witch savor her task any more than she already did.

           “Thank you, my dear,” Cora said mockingly to Emma, her hand looking to at last close around the desired organ as Swan began to gape for air.  “You see, you’re in my daughter’s way.  Getting between her and her son.  She wanted you removed from the picture, without implicating herself.”  She smiled a jagged, horrifying grin, “And I am only too happy to oblige.”

           Emma actually snarled, regardless of her precarious position and Cora’s literal grasp on her very life. Killian knew then and there that he had never been so impressed, so enthralled with anyone before.  “You’ll get to Henry over my dead body,” Emma vowed through clenched teeth, glaring at Regina with a fire that was intimidating even with the Queen of Heart’s arm engulfed in her torso.

           Cora merely laughed aloud at Emma’s words, readying to pull her arm free with the deputy’s heart in her grip.  “I’m sorry to tell you this, my dear, but that is precisely what is about to happen.” She tried to withdraw, but instead of emerging with the organ in her hand, the vile woman seemed stuck.  She jerked harder, actually moving Emma awkwardly along with her arm, but neither her hand nor the heart left Emma’s body.

           “What is the meaning of this?!” Cora snapped, yanking her arm back toward herself in earnest now, or attempting it at least; her puzzled frustration growing as she pulled to no avail.

           Killian was equally stunned, gaping at Emma who had begun to glow so brilliantly he had to squint to look at her fully, even as her face turned toward him to ask the same question herself.  Then, to both their surprise, Cora was flung away from them, across the room with a force so massive it blew Regina off her feet as well – both villainesses careening into the far wall where they lay for the moment, unmoving and still.

           In the intensity of the last several minutes, Killian had forgotten his own strength; the unnatural power that did at least come along with the trials and alienation of who (and what) he was.  He had been watching passively, his worry for Emma almost paralyzing him; forgetting that he was capable of freeing himself and coming to her aid.  Once that seeming trance had broken, Killian’s lupine protectiveness and dominance forcibly made themselves known; a low whine escaping his throat as he saw Emma fall back against the bars behind her, slumping at the energy which must have fled her body, and her lithe form visibly trembling. The beast within could remain contained and idly watching no longer, no matter how he had endeavored to up to that point to follow their commands and adhere to Emma and her sheriff’s wishes.

           Gripping the bars at either side of himself firmly in his large, roughened hands, Killian began to push firmly, slowly but surely bending the bars of his cage outward with his beyond human strength to where he could easily step free of confinement.  In doing so, Emma lost the support she had been leaning on and practically collapsed against his solid chest.

           Killian’s arms came up to hold and encircle her of their own accord; his step forward readying him to catch her when she toppled, even as Emma looked up at him over her shoulder, blinking in confusion and dazed half-awareness at the sudden shift in position and their now close proximity.  There was still a definite shaking to her limbs that Killian could feel as he gathered her closer to his considerable warmth – another trait of his dual nature, that he might have chuckled at in a lighter moment as Emma seemed to almost unconsciously snuggle nearer to him – unable to resist holding her while he had the chance.  Her sweet, cupid’s bow lips parted slightly in surprise as she attempted to catch her breath, and he could no more help the awed, enamored smile he gave her than he could help embracing her for as long as possible.

           “Alright there, Lass?” he finally murmured, right against her ear, his mouth actually brushing the delicate lobe and causing a shiver to run through her all over again.  Practically, he knew he should be making sure that Cora and Regina were truly incapacitated and looking for a way to hold them prisoner, or at least neutralize the danger they presented once they regained consciousness, but neither of the women had stirred in the slightest, and Emma Swan seemed not at all ready to pull away or push him back as he had fully expected.  Holding his breath, he determined not to ruin the moment rather than do anything which would cause her to withdraw.

           “I – I- I think so,” the deputy stammered, wetting her lips and shaking her head rather adorably, somehow looking smaller and less certain than the tough, impenetrable front she had presented until that very moment.  “Wh-what was that?  How did I do… whatever that was?!?”  Her eyes bugged and she gestured expansively as if trying to illustrate the blast that had come from her chest and propelled her attackers away from them.

           “Well, Emma,” Killian hummed gently, his hands – both whole and stunted – rubbing up and down her arms unconsciously, attempting to offer her some sort of soothing comfort, “I don’t mean to upset you, but if I had to venture a guess, I’d wager you used some sort of magic.”

           Swan did shove herself away from him then, eyes darting from her felled enemies to her own hands extended before her, and from his open, earnest expression to the bars bent wide to allow his freedom behind him.  “What? No!” she shook her head in denial, blond mane flying wildly in all directions as she did so.  “That’s not possible.  I don’t have magic.  And I certainly wouldn’t know how to fling people across the room with it, even if I did!”

           Killian’s eyes narrowed at her outburst, his already stirred blood responding to her fire in a primal way he could not quash.  It was all he could do to hold back his instincts just then as they urged him to pull her in and kiss the arguing breath right out of her.  The wolf lurking beneath the surface suddenly rammed itself against his internal barriers, desperate to break free, to devour the delectable woman before him with lips, tongue and teeth, making her indisputably his own.

           Emma of course, though obviously shaken by the events they had just weathered, looked nowhere near backing down; in fact, she appeared to be gathering steam, jabbing a finger toward the warped cell bars and turning her frantic ire on him. “And what is that?!  Are you seriously telling me you could have gotten out of there whenever you wanted?! What were you doing?  Just toying with us?  Why?”

           Dropping his head slightly, Killian had to fight the surge of disappointment that flooded his veins. ‘Always mistrusted, never understood,’ his mind seemed to hauntingly remind him once again as Emma’s wild questions veered ever more toward accusation.  Attempting to mask the hurt her sudden doubt had caused, Killian gathered his ever-effective cloak of flirtatious bravado around him, practically leering at her with devilish baiting in his tone.  “Wouldn’t you like to know?” he goaded, not wanting to provoke her in truth, but not sure how to answer the question honestly without spooking her and still keeping the howling beast within at bay, even as it hankered, slavered, to flee, to get away and lick its wounds.  How to explain that he had hoped to aid their cause, to gain their trust, regain a bit of his tarnished honor, and maybe, at long last, find a place to belong?  All he knew was that her reaction had forced him to see once again how foolish he was for holding out such hope.

           Her arms crossed over her chest, panting with both exertion and indignation as she faced him down, toe-to-toe, the forms of the two Mills women clearly forgotten behind her.  “Maybe I would,” she shot back, “but I’m not about to start begging for hints.  I wouldn’t give you the satisfaction.”

           Neither of them were prepared to give an inch; that much was crystal clear. And Killian would lay odds that Emma had no more idea how they had gone from practically tangled in each other’s arms to squared off ready to fight in mere seconds, but there they stood, sparks shooting between them, emotions high and ready to boil over at the slightest bit more provocation.

           Again, his quivering muscles warned him of years’ experience at barely holding back the change always on the very edge of his consciousness, warring to be free – his natural state constantly chafing at being held back, but when he had exerted such strength and let his emotions become so agitated, it was all the more close to the surface.  Basically grinding his teeth, both jaw and mobile fist clenched, Killian let his eyes fall closed in a bid to shut Swan and her maddening presence out, to ground himself once more and stave off his shift until he could reach cover and manage it unobserved.

           Both of them paused, chests heaving and at an impasse, until the sound of an alarmed shout, footsteps pounding, and then Graham’s form appeared in the collapsed opening of the station’s outer wall to the street, caused them to break eye contact. The swell of intense emotion that had swept them up dropped them again, and caused deputy and werewolf to fall away from each other.  The sheriff agilely leapt over the pile of bricks to reach them, turning quickly as he regained his footing to offer first his sister, and then a wide-eyed, pale, and silent woman Emma could only assume was the elusive Belle French, his hand in turn to help them clamber over the rubble as well – Ruby quite adeptly, a marked spring in her step at all the action and excitement, and the other woman moving with a stiffness that spoke of lengthy inaction and uncertainty.  

          Even as she reached the inside with the rest of them, she carefully kept herself half hidden behind Ruby and continued to clutch Graham’s steady hand with her own shaking fingers. She did peer out at Emma and Killian with a curious gaze, indicating that she was getting a sense of her new surroundings and wouldn’t remain cowed for long, but still, Emma’s heart went out her. The rather shell-shocked effect pale, thin visage gave left Emma unable to imagine what all she might have been through.  “Belle, I assume?” Emma asked gently, not wanting to startle or push the other woman in any way, but wanting to acknowledge her all the same.

         “Aye,” Graham nodded, his accent think and softer than normal, a reassuring smile down at the petite woman offered as he spoke.  He then looked up to Killian.  “I apologize for taking you in earlier.  You could have made things much more unpleasant than you did.  I appreciate it, and I’m sorry for doubting you. Clearly you and Emma have proven quite a team while we were gone, but the three of us can take it from here. We should be able to sway Gold from his vendetta against you now, knowing it was Regina who was hiding Belle. Still, just in case… you might want to make yourself scarce for a day or two…”

         Killian opened his mouth to argue, not liking the idea of leaving two fellow wolves – and Emma – to face off against his mortal enemy, not to mention the Evil Queen and her manipulative viper of a mother. Nor did he like the way matters remained between he and Emma – raw emotions left unspoken and the electricity that had been zinging between them unfulfilled and set alight.  However, what the other man said made sense.  His gaze turned to Emma, and she nodded shortly, letting him know she agreed with Graham and that he was dismissed.

        Much too determined for that to be the end, Killian knew he would be back to finish what he and Swan had started, but the situation was too volatile and complicated for him to worsen their best chance of defusing at least one of their threats.  They absolutely would not make the desired progress with Gold while dragging Killian along.  He capitulated, merely stating that if they were sure – to which Ruby gave him a toothy grin, reminding him that they were kindred and she and Graham could handle it – he would go for the time being, but he wouldn’t be far.  He could be called back for help if needed. He and Graham shook hands, and Ruby gave him a much friendlier look than he had garnered from her previously…but Emma wouldn’t meet his eye.

        Now wasn’t the time, he scolded himself, moving to the exit and stepping out of the station into the open air, headed for the tree line not far from this edge of town.  Emma had seemed just panicked enough to let him go, despite their earlier closeness, and he kicked himself as he broke into a loping run for wishing once more that she would ask him to stay.

Tagging: @cssns @kmomof4 @teamhook @revanmeetra87 @laschatzi @searchingwardrobes @spartanguard @therooksshiningknight @linda8084 @branlovesouat @resident-of-storybrooke @kday426 @jennjenn615 @capswantrue @kiwistreetswan @allofdafandoms-blog @quicksilvermad

[unfolded73]

This Graceful Path (1/19)

Summary: Emma has just moved in with Mary Margaret and started working as a deputy in the Storybrooke sheriff's department when she meets Killian Jones, the town's introverted harbormaster. When a prominent Storybrooke resident is found murdered, Emma tries to juggle solving the case with new friendships, parenthood, and romance. A Season 1 Cursed!Killian AU.

Rating: Explicit per CSBB guidelines (violence, sex). If you are someone who uses my usual distinction between M and E to decide whether to read something I wrote, this is more of an M on unfolded73's scale. The sex, when we get there, is not extremely graphic in nature. Same with the violence.

Content Warning: This fic contains two major character deaths, one of which is S1 canon and one of which is not but happens early in the story.

Total word count: ~ 75,000

Acknowledgements: Thank you to @j-philly-b for betaing this monstrosity. Thank you to @caprelloidea for all of the read-throughs and cheerleading; not sure I could have written it without your excitement early on. Thank you to @teruel-a-witch for the original prompt on tumblr which sparked this fic. Thank you to @pompeiiablaze for the wonderful art which will accompany later chapters. Thanks to the CSBB mods ( @sambethe in particular, who had to look at my check-ins) for your support and for enduring my neuroses.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 -- AO3 Link

Chapter 1

Emma Swan awoke, and for a moment was disoriented, confused as to where she was sleeping. She blinked up at the whitewashed ceiling, the boards rising in a slant above her head, and remembered: she was someone’s roommate now. Mary Margaret Blanchard’s roommate, to be precise, the kind school teacher who had offered her the spare room in her loft apartment.

The sound of a pan clanging on the stove top below reaching her ears, Emma sat up, her sleep-tangled blonde hair falling in her face. Spare “room” was a bit of a misnomer, actually; spare upstairs landing was more like it. While her bed was far enough against the outside wall to not be visible to anyone downstairs, she really only had to stand up and shuffle forward a few steps in order to survey the whole of the apartment from over the railing that divided her sleeping area from the wide open space of the loft.

She’d been here for three days now, and Mary Margaret was the definition of a kind and accommodating roommate. It was a little bit creepy how kind and accommodating she was, to be honest. Glancing at the clock, Emma groaned at the fact that it was only 6:45, and she flopped back down on the bed, squeezing her eyes shut.

First day at your new job, she remembered, grimacing. She’d said yes to the deputy sheriff job on a whim, figuring why the hell not, but her thoughts and dreams during a restless night of sleep had done a fantastic job demonstrating to her exactly why the hell not. Being a bail bondsperson was not the same thing as being a law enforcement professional. Sure, Storybrooke was a small town, where the most she would probably have to deal with was teenagers loitering or that Leroy guy getting into trouble down at the local bar, but on the other hand, Storybrooke was weird. And sure, Sheriff Graham Humbert was a nice guy and easy on the eyes, but working for the sheriff’s department meant working for Regina Mills. That was bound to be trouble.

Realizing there was little chance of falling back to sleep, Emma threw the covers back and made her way downstairs.

The metal steps that led down to the main part of the loft were icy under her bare feet, and Emma shivered as she descended, the air cooler down here than it had been up in her bedroom. She rubbed her arms, glancing down at her tank top and her one threadbare pair of yoga pants that doubled as pajamas. Once she got a paycheck, she’d have to see about getting some more pajamas. And some more of everything else, probably.

“Good morning!” Mary Margaret called from the kitchen, her face bright and shining. “Do you want some eggs?”

“Don’t go to any trouble,” Emma said.

“It’s no trouble.”

“I’m actually not usually hungry when I first wake up,” Emma explained, sitting in one of the two mismatched barstools that faced the kitchen. Much of the apartment’s furnishings seemed to have been cobbled together from yard sales and secondhand shops, which was an aesthetic Emma could respect.

She watched Mary Margaret’s hands work as she cracked an egg into a bowl and whisked it. Everything about Mary Margaret was perfectly put together, even at this hour of the morning, from her adorable pixie haircut to her neatly pressed dress to the ballet flats on her feet. Mary Margaret was, she had to admit, the kind of person that Emma would have taken an instant dislike to in another context. The fact that she didn’t find her ray of sunshine roommate to be annoying was… actually quite puzzling, now that she thought about it.

“Did you get all two of your boxes unpacked?” Mary Margaret asked with a smirk. Emma’s boxes of meager possessions had arrived from Boston yesterday, thanks to the superintendent of her building there and the crush he had on her. It had been a pre-furnished apartment, rented on a whim fairly recently, and most of her paycheck had gone to the rent without much left over for buying stuff to fill it. So other than a few clothes and a box of mementos, there was little Emma owned.

“I did,” Emma confirmed. “And hey, thanks again for—”

“You can stop thanking me, Emma, it’s nice having you here. It was a bit lonely, living here by myself.” Mary Margaret turned and poured her egg into the waiting pan. “I'm not sure I'm suited for it… living alone. It’s always felt wrong.”

“Not for me. After all the group homes I lived in, living alone was a dream come true. Not that I don't like it here, I do,” Emma added hastily.

Mary Margaret put her scrambled eggs on a plate as the toaster popped with two perfectly toasted pieces of bread. When she offered Emma one of them, despite her earlier refusal, she took it. Looking at Mary Margaret’s breakfast was making her a little bit hungry after all. “Is what Henry said true?” Mary Margaret asked. “That you were left by the side of the road as a baby?”

“Yep, and I’ve seen the newspaper clippings to prove it,” Emma replied, trying her best to sound fine with it. “A kid found me and took me to a nearby diner before I froze to death or, you know, starved or whatever. They couldn’t identify who my parents were, and I ended up in the foster system.”

“And you weren’t ever adopted?”

“Nope.” Emma took a bite of her toast. “It was foster family to group home to foster family. I bounced around a lot.”

“Well, you turned out fine.”

Emma snorted. “I guess, if you consider getting pregnant at seventeen ‘fine’. And… other stuff. Look, let’s just say my teen years were complicated and leave it at that.”

“Fair enough.” Mary Margaret gave Emma an encouraging smile. “I’m glad you’re here. I think it will be wonderful for Henry to get to know you. And I’m looking forward to getting to know you too. I don’t really have many friends.”

Recoiling internally, Emma stood up. “You know what, I’d better get ready for my first day at work.” If Mary Margaret was looking for a friend who knew how to do typical girl stuff, like talk about hair and clothes and boys, then she was going to be sorely disappointed. Emma didn’t really know how to be anyone’s friend.

“Sheriff’s deputy, it’s so exciting!” Mary Margaret enthused. “I’m sure you’re gonna do great.”

Emma wasn’t so sure, but she made some kind of noncommittal noise of agreement. She excused herself to the bathroom to take a shower, steeling herself for her morning fight with the finicky hot water. The loft’s lone bathroom contained an old-fashioned claw foot tub which had been retrofitted with a shower head and a flimsy frame for a shower curtain. Emma had learned on her first morning in the apartment that the difference between icy cold water and water hot enough to burn the skin off her bones was a scant millimeter adjustment of the knob. “You’ll get used to it,” Mary Margaret had assured her.

Although the sheriff’s station was a reasonable walk from their apartment, when Emma left, she got behind the wheel of her yellow VW Bug, deciding to drive so as not to be late. She passed a total of three cars between her apartment and her work. Say what you will about Storybrooke, she thought, the lack of traffic was definitely a selling point. As she pulled into a parking space in front of the station, she marveled once again that she was now going to be working for the sheriff who had arrested her, not once but twice, on trumped up charges.

Graham Humbert came out of his glass-walled office to greet her as soon as she entered the empty station. As always, his brown hair was artfully tousled and his scruffy beard was neatly trimmed, and Emma wondered how long he spent each morning perfecting his intentionally neglectful look.

“Emma! Welcome to your first day,” he said. He seemed lighter, happier than usual, as evidenced by the smile he gave her. “I don’t have your uniform or badge sorted out yet, but I figured today you could familiarize yourself with the station and we can start to talk about what your responsibilities will be.” He hooked his thumb into one of belt loops, drawing Emma’s attention down to where his shirt peeked out underneath the hem of his vest.

“After being arrested twice, I’m familiar with the place,” she muttered.

“Ah yes, but to do you know exactly where to kick the copy machine to get it to work, or how to get the coffee machine to brew a pot of coffee without electrocuting you?”

“Are you sure you can afford to pay me a salary?”

Graham chuckled. “Yes, you’ll get your paycheck, don’t worry.”

He spent the next half hour showing her around, teaching her the phone system and explaining generally what a typical day in Storybrooke was like. Which, honestly, sounded so boring that she was a little confused why he even needed a deputy. It sounded like she was going to be spending her days mediating disputes about dogs pooping in neighbors’ yards and stolen recycling bins, with maybe a drunk and disorderly thrown in for flavor once in awhile. Still, a job was a job, especially if she wanted to stay in town and be a part of Henry’s life.

The sheriff’s station itself was a mystery. Everything she could see from her desk — the phones, the computers, the little television with a VHS player up against the far wall — everything looked like it was from another time. Was it Regina’s iron grip on the budget that meant nothing had been replaced in twenty years? Or was Graham indifferent?

“So…” she said as she swiveled back and forth in her desk chair, “you aren’t exactly what I imagine when I think of a small town sheriff.”

“Oh no?” Graham raised his eyebrows. “What do you imagine?”

“You know, older guy, big doughnut belly, not quite so stylishly dressed?” She continued to pivot back and forth, slumping down and giving Graham a once-over. “How did you end up getting this gig, anyway?”

“Mayor Mills just saw something in me, I guess,” he answered, breaking eye contact with her and looking into the middle distance.

Emma paused, waiting for him to say more. When he didn’t, she decided to change the subject. “Speaking of Regina, have you told her you hired me yet?”

Graham glanced down, clearly chastened. “I’ve got a meeting with her tomorrow; I’ll let her know then.”

“Oh boy. Have fun with that.”

“I’ll take care of it, Emma; don’t worry.”

“If you say so.” She leaned forward, taking one of the pencils out of the cup on her desk and tapping it absently against the blotter. “So has anything really bad ever happened here?”

“Like what?”

Emma shrugged. “I don’t know, like a bank robbery or a murder.”

“A murder?” Graham laughed. “No, Emma, there has never been a murder in Storybrooke,” he said with a slightly patronizing tone.

“Hey, weird stuff can go down in small towns like this. Haven’t you ever read a Stephen King book?”

“Can’t say as I have.”

“Well, you should; they’re pretty good if you like horror.” Graham looked at her blankly. While he was clearly capable of carrying on a conversation with her like a normal person, sometimes he behaved so oddly that she didn’t know what to think of him. “Any other characters like Leroy I need to be aware of? People who get in trouble with the law often?”

“Other than yourself?”

“Very funny,” Emma said, returning his smirk with one of her own.

“I think the best thing you can do, Emma, is spend some time out and about in Storybrooke. Walk the streets, go in the shops and introduce yourself, eat at Granny’s. The sooner you make yourself a part of the town, the sooner the town will come to trust you.”

~*~

Graham’s instructions in mind, when it was time for her afternoon break Emma decided to wander over toward Granny’s diner in search of caffeine, shuffling through the autumn leaves that had fallen and collected on the sidewalks and in the gutters. School appeared to be letting out at the same time, and Emma spotted Henry, a little brown-haired boy in a cluster of children in identical school uniforms, at the same time that he saw her. With a big grin breaking out over his face, he ran over to her.

“Cool, are we getting cocoa? Can I have some?” he asked without preamble as she pushed open the door of the diner. Henry followed her in. The collar of his polo shirt was askew and his sweater was dirty, and Emma resisted the urge to reach out and comb the tangles out of his hair with her fingers.

Granny’s was another example of the time-warpy nature of Storybrooke. The waitresses wore costumes that wouldn’t have looked out of place coupled with a pair of roller skates, and even the prices were out of another era. Sure, the cost of living in small-town Maine was lower than in Boston, but this was ridiculous (not that Emma was complaining). The decor was exactly what you would picture if asked to imagine a diner, with the possible exception of the forest-covered wallpaper. The strange wallpaper looked more like an illustration from Henry’s storybook than the kind of thing you’d typically see on the walls of an eating establishment.

“Aren’t you supposed to go straight home after school?” she asked, although she was happy for any opportunity to see Henry. “Regina won’t be happy.”

He shrugged. “Mom won’t be home for at least another hour. I can hang out.” He sat down in one of the booths and looked up at her expectantly until Emma sighed and sat down across from him.

“I’m only on a short break, then I need to get back to the sheriff’s station.”

“You being a deputy is so awesome. And you’re weakening the curse; I can tell.”

Emma suppressed a groan. “How can you tell?”

He ignored her question, because he was already on to something else, and he started ticking things off on his fingers. “So we’ve got Snow White and Prince Charming, I’ve figured out who most of the dwarves are—”

“There are dwarves in Storybrooke now?”

“Well, they don’t look like dwarves,” Henry said.

“No, of course not, that would be ridiculous.”

“They look like regular people, although I think they’re all on the short side. Anyway, Snow White, Prince Charming, dwarves, the Evil Queen, Cinderella, Jiminy Cricket, Geppetto, Red Riding Hood—”

“Who’s Red Riding Hood?”

Henry rolled his eyes and then indicated with a jerk of his head toward the lunch counter. “Ruby,” he said as if it was obvious.

“Right.” She sighed. “Look, Henry, maybe we should talk about something else, like… what did you do at school today?” That was good, she thought. That was the kind of question a parent would ask.

“Nah, nothing interesting happened at school.”

Ruby came over to their booth, and Emma ordered a cocoa for Henry and a coffee to go for herself. Taking in Ruby’s short shorts, she figured the waitress wouldn’t be caught dead in a shapeless red cloak that would cover up her body.

“So if I ask Mary Margaret tonight at home,” Emma continued when Ruby left, “she’ll agree that nothing interesting happened at school?”

Henry released a heavy, put-upon sigh. “I mean we learned stuff, but none of it is as important as Operation Cobra.”

“How about this,” Emma said. “Tell me three things that you did at school today.”

“Okay.” Henry thought about it. “We had a spelling test.”

“How did you do?”

“I aced it,” he said. “Second thing: we worked on fractions in math.”

Emma restrained herself from making a face at the idea of working on fractions. “And a third thing?”

“There was pizza for lunch in the cafeteria, but my mom packs my lunch, so I couldn’t eat it.”

She had to admit, that did all sound pretty dismal compared to the excitement of Operation Cobra. No wonder Henry was retreating into his fairy tale imaginings. School was boring, he seemed to have no friends, and he didn’t get to eat pizza. It wasn’t a surprise the kid had problems.

Ruby dropped off their drinks, giving Henry a kind smile before she left them.

“Look, Henry, maybe there’s something the two of us could do together this weekend if Regina would allow it. Not Operation Cobra,” she said when she saw him starting to suggest it. “Some kind of normal kid thing, like… tossing a football in the park, or, I don’t know. A bike ride.”

“I don’t do either of those things,” Henry said, regarding her with suspicion before taking a drink of his cocoa, getting whipped cream on his nose in the process. Emma pulled a napkin from the dispenser and reached over to wipe it off.

“Okay, well, I don’t know. You suggest something.”

His face lit up. “I was thinking maybe we could do some surveillance on my mom. You work for the sheriff’s department now, you must have access to—”

“We are absolutely not doing that, Henry.”

“You’re no fun.”

“Fine, I’m no fun. But let’s try to figure something out that we can do that does not involve spying or fairy tale characters,” she said helplessly.

“Everything in Storybrooke involves fairy tale characters,” he said with an eye roll.

“What about TV?” Emma asked. “Tell me what you like to watch on TV.”

“Mom doesn’t let me watch it on school nights,” he said glumly.

“That’s probably a good policy,” she said, trying to give Regina the benefit of the doubt, at least in this one area.

“I do like Star Wars,” Henry volunteered after a big gulp of cocoa.

“Me too.” Emma grinned at him. “I used to pretend I was Princess Leia, except my version of Princess Leia swung a light saber.”

“Well yeah, she’s got the Force too, why shouldn’t she?” He jumped up suddenly. “What time is it? I should probably get home.”

“I bet you’ve got homework to do, right?”

Henry groaned, picking up his backpack from the seat. “I’ll see you tomorrow, maybe?”

“Maybe.” Star Wars, she thought. Something for them to bond over that didn’t center around his curse nonsense. It was a small thing, but it was something.

Ruby approached the table as Emma was still watching Henry through the window. “Can I get you anything else, Emma?”

She shook her head. “Just the check.” Remembering Graham’s directive to get to know people in the town, Emma gave Ruby what she hoped was a disarming smile. “You look tired, do you want to sit for a minute and take a load off?”

The diner was mostly empty, it being too late for lunch and too early for dinner. Ruby looked around for Granny before gratefully flopping down in the seat Henry had vacated. “Thanks, my feet are killing me.”

Emma resisted the urge to point out that she might be in less pain if she wore more sensible shoes. She took in Ruby’s striking face, envious of the other woman’s perfect winged eyeliner. “I was a waitress once. It’s hard work. Have you worked here a long time?”

“As long as I can remember,” Ruby said. “I don’t really know how to do anything else.”

The door to the diner opened and Emma glanced up. A man with dark brown hair and a short beard similar to Graham’s approached the register. Ruby looked over too and when she saw the man, got to her feet. “Hang on, I’ve gotta go get his to-go order.”

Emma watched as Ruby grabbed a paper bag from the kitchen pass-through and brought it over, batting her eyelashes and giving the newcomer her best smile as she rung up his food. Emma could appreciate why Ruby was flirting — this guy was a fine specimen of the male half of the species. He wore a tight long-sleeved black t-shirt, and Emma couldn’t help but admire the way it stretched across his shoulders and decently-muscled upper arms. He pulled a wallet out of the back pocket of his worn jeans, handing over cash and taking the bag with little more than a word or two for Ruby. As quickly as he had appeared, he was gone.

Ruby rejoined Emma at the booth. “Who was that?” Emma asked.

“Oh, you noticed Killian? Yeah, even in a town with a decent number of hotties, he’s noticeable.”

She had a point. Not that Emma was shopping for a man, but Storybrooke did seem to have more than its fair share of attractive people. Even Mr. Former Coma Patient, David Nolan, was handsome if you liked the Captain America type. Which Emma didn’t particularly, but she could see why Mary Margaret was mooning over him.

“Killian Jones,” Ruby continued. “He runs things down at the docks. Used to be a sailor himself, I think, but now he mainly inspects the boats and… I don’t know, whatever a harbormaster does.” She shrugged. “He mainly keeps to himself. Believe me, I’ve tried to hit that on multiple occasions, and he was not interested.” She cracked her gum. “His loss.”

Emma immediately formed a picture of Killian Jones in her head, based on Ruby’s limited information. The loner type, probably with some kind of dark secret that drove him to keep to himself. He probably drank too much — just the kind of guy she needed to stay far, far away from if her history was any guide.

Emma thought about the people she had met in Storybrooke so far, pushing Killian O’Hottie from her thoughts. “What’s the deal with Mr. Gold? How did he end up owning everything in town?” she asked.

Ruby blanched and began fiddling with the salt shaker. “I don’t know, he just does.”

“Are you afraid of him?” Emma thought of Ashley Boyd and her baby, and the way Mr. Gold had seemed willing to sell the baby like it was property.

“I think everyone’s afraid of him. He’s… I don’t know.” She lowered her voice. “There’s something about him that feels… evil, you know?”

Emma heaved a sigh. She wasn’t going to get anything concrete going down that road. “You probably know most of the people in this town, working here.”

“Sure, I guess.” Ruby narrowed her eyes. “Are you pumping me for information about Storybrooke’s seedy underbelly in your capacity as the sheriff’s deputy?”

Emma raised her eyebrows in surprise. “You already heard that I’m working for the sheriff? I literally started a few hours ago.”

“News travels fast in Storybrooke, Emma.” Ruby stood up, ready to get back to work. “You’re gonna have your work cut out for you keeping up.”

Chapter 2

[thesschesthair]

Impossible eh, Emma is attracted to her dashing neighbor but he is completely disinterested. lol as if.

Bless! I’ve actually had an incomplete fic like this prompt sitting in a dusty folder for the best part of two years so I decided to go back and revisit it lol. i hope this is to your liking, I decided to role reverse a little and have Killian be the closed off one and Emma the one pursuing of sorts. It’s also 2am now and i’m knackered so there is a chance of some serious mistakes lol. Apologies!

Emma needed to let it go. Ever since she’d moved into apartment C she’d become infatuated with Mr Jones next door. Her first encounter had been when he’d almost tripped over the two large boxes marked ‘Henry’s stuff’ she’d left in the hall eight months ago. She’d run out to scoot them out of the way and babbled off sincere apologies in the most friendliest way she could. But he hadn’t spoke, just nodded at her stiffly before disappearing behind the door marked with a simple D.

Since then she’d passed him multiple times, always offered him a simple smile or a ‘hey’ yet the man had never once spoken back. He simply gave her a nod with no warmth to it, barely acknowledged her at all.

Now Emma wasn’t naive. She’d met her fair share of rude people and knew how to spot an asshole. While many would have put Mr Jones into that category, she knew better. He wasn’t an arrogant man, although she could admit he was certainly an attractive guy, he wasn’t egotistical, nor was he harsh or dismissive.

No, Emma recognised that the man had walls.

Sky high walls that towered above him, wrapped in barbed wire and probably encased in steel. She should know, she’d had them herself.

That’s what baffled her the most about her obsession with her neighbour. Emma had never been one to start conversations or make friends. She’d always been closed off, defensive, alone… that was until she’d met the lovely Mary Margaret and David. They’d swooped in and changed Emma and Henry’s lives for the better and shown her that there were still good people in the world. And for some unfathomable reason, she felt the urge to do the same for him.

Emma had only managed to figure out three things about the mystery man she shared a balcony with.

Firstly, he was British. While he’d never spoken to her, he had no problem offering a response to her son. The split balcony was safe enough for her four year old to play on without fear of him slipping through bars or climbing off thanks to the modernised structure of the thing, which meant she could cook dinner while he played peacefully, only having to keep one eye on the glass door rather than two. Henry had been babbling away and it had taken a moment to realise that he was actually talking to someone when her ears had picked up a few low rumbles in return.

She’d marched right over to the outdoor area but froze when she’d noticed just who he was talking to. On the other side of the mesh divide sat Mr Jones, coffee cup in hand and staring intently out at the street before him. He was listening to her son educate him on the importance of the wonderpets.

“But you know what worked?”

“I don’t, lad… the ruler?”

“No, it was teamwork!”

“Ah. I see.”

It was clear he’d never had much social interaction with toddlers; his discomfort was evident, although Henry remained blissfully unaware, but he was trying his best to engage.

“You okay out here, kid?” she asked softly when she finally stepped out.

She looked at him and felt a jolt when their eyes met.

“Sorry if he’s bothering you. He’s quite the chatterbox.” she offered him.

She saw hesitance, then she saw the walls, then he was rising from his seat.

“It’s alright.” he mumbled softly. He gave a brief nod before he made a turn back into his apartment and closed the glass door.

Which lead to the second thing she knew about Mr Jones.

He’d been badly hurt. And not just physically.

While it was obvious that Mr Jones was missing his left hand, Emma saw that it ran much deeper than a missing limb. The look in his eyes when they’d caught hers had stunned her. Oceans of sorrow and pain swam behind them; a look she’d seen all too often in her own reflection. He’d been lost, alone… and he’d suffered.

And that confirmed the third thing she knew.

He never had visitors. Not a single person- male, female, old, young- entered or exited his home, and thanks to the rather thin walls of the building, she knew his apartmentment was silent almost all of the time.

It made her feel a connection to him. Maybe she was losing her mind but it was as if she saw a kindred spirit in the closed off man living one wall away. She wanted to reach reach out, to connect- he was a stranger that had hardly said two words to her in almost a year and yet she was constantly drawn to him.

She had to stop.

It was the incident two days prior that made her decision for her.

She’d promised Henry cookies once he’d woke from his nap and it was only when she’d began mixing ingredients together that she’d noticed the half carton of eggs were passed their expiry date. She couldn’t run to the store and leave her son sleeping in the apartment by himself, and she knew however sweet and kind her son was, when it came to the promise of cookies, he knew how to hold a grudge.

Without putting too much thought into it, she decided to prop open her door and knock on apartment D.

He opened and seemed rather shocked to see her.

“Hey Mr Jones, sorry to bother you but I was wondering if you had a spare egg by any chance?”

“Aye. Of course.”

He disappeared back into his apartment while Emma had waited on the doorstep feeling rather giddy at the turn of events. He appeared with two eggs in his palm and handed them over silently.

“You’re a lifesaver. I’ll reimburse you as soon as I can hit the store.”

“There’s no need.”  

“Then i’ll just have to bring you cookies to say thank you-”

“I said it’s fine.” he snapped, shocking her.

Emma could see the remorse in his face before he closed the door, but his outburst still stung. She took her frustrations out on the cookie batter as the interaction replayed over and over in her head.

Maybe she’d got it wrong. Maybe he was just a rude, arrogant man after all.

No. She knew he wasn’t. But it was very clear that Mr Jones neither wanted nor welcomed her kindness. Maybe he was too far gone, or maybe he was content with being isolated.

Once she finally managed to get to the store, she made sure to pick up two cartons of eggs, and as she left one carton outside apartment D, she vowed to leave him be and stop trying.

He’d been clear and she’d respect that.

“Mommy? Can uncle David really fly?”

“No sweetie.” Emma chuckled as she laid out Henry’s colouring pens and paper for him. “Uncle David is a big fibber.”

They’d spent lunchtime with the Nolan’s which always left Henry with a ton of questions over whatever wild stories David had decided to pile him with.

A soft knock at the door pulled her from her task as she let Henry take to the paper and let his imagination run wild.

Of all the people she expected to be standing there, Mr Jones was farthest from the list. He seemed nervous which piqued her curiosity.

“I’m sorry to bother you, I just… I wanted to apologise for my rude behaviour the other day, I was completely out of line. You’ve been nothing but pleasant to me since you moved in and… well, i’ve not been the nicest of neighbours.”

She smiled.

“You’re forgiven. I get it.”

“You do?” he asked, confused by her response, causing her to smirk.

“You’re kind of an open book, Mr Jones.”

She wanted to kick herself the moment the words left her mouth. He stood looking at her for a beat, a resemblance of awe and understanding dawned on his face before he stretched his hand out.

“Killian.”“Emma Swan.”

Their hands shook and something else happened which she never expected. He gave her a genuine smile.... And it was beautiful.

He became nervous once again as he reached into the inside of his jacket and pulled out a DVD case.

“I erm… I saw this while I was out. I remember your boy telling me all about it and I thought- I mean you might not want him to have it, i’d understand-”

“He’s gonna love it. Thank you.”

There was a moment of comfortable silence until Emma widened the opening to her home.

“You wanna come in and give it to him?”

“I don’t wish to intrude-”

“You’re not, I promise. We’ve got doughnuts?”

It took seven months for them to become close friends. The more they learned of each other, the more alike they realised they were. An unbreakable bond formed between them and a solid friendship was built. Neither one could imagine not having the other in their lives.

It took another four months before he finally kissed her. Once he had, both knew there was no going back; this was it for them. It may have been a long wait for Killian to open himself up again, but to Emma the wait was more than worth it.

[placetobenation]

A lot has happened since we last met! First and foremost, we hope everyone out there in Place 2 Be Nation is safe and healthy. That’s what’s most important!

Now, as far as the WWE is concerned, there are various developments on many fronts. It’s been reported that the WWE has already taped all their programming through WrestleMania including the RAW and NXT after WrestleMania. That falls in line with the April 9th date that has the Performance Center closed by local officials in Orlando. The April 10th edition of SmackDown is also rumored to take place at the Performance Center as well.

The coronavirus has had many effects on the way to WrestleMania and now has impacted the card itself. According to various reports, Roman Reigns, citing health concerns and his battle with leukemia, has bowed out of his Universal Championship Match with Bill Goldberg.  The Miz, due to being sick, is out of his SmackDown tag team title match. Andrade has been replaced by Austin Theory, who will now team with Angel Garza against The Street Profits in the RAW Tag Team Title Match.

Things are VERY fluid these days in the WWE. Stay tuned as things could (and WILL) change over the next few days. We’ll have to see just how much that has leaked out comes to fruition or gets redone over the next 7 days.

Updated WrestleMania Card (as of 3/28/20 with reported changes):

WWE Championship: Brock Lesnar vs. Drew McIntyre

Universal Championship: Goldberg vs. Roman Reigns  Braun Strowman

Boneyard Match: The Undertaker vs. AJ Styles

Firefly Funhouse Match: John Cena vs. “The Fiend” Bray Wyatt

RAW Women’s Championship: Becky Lynch vs. Shayna Baszler

NXT Women’s Championship: Rhea Ripley vs. Charlotte Flair

SmackDown Women’s Championship – WrestleMania Fatal Five-Way Challenge Elimination Match: Bayley vs. Sasha Banks vs. Lacey Evans vs. Tamina vs. Naomi

Last Man Standing Match: Edge vs. Randy Orton

Kevin Owens vs. Seth Rollins

RAW Tag Team Championship: The Street Profits vs. Andrade Angel Garza & Austin Theory

Aleister Black vs. Bobby Lashley

Elias vs. King Corbin

Intercontinental Championship: Sami Zayn vs. Daniel Bryan

Otis vs. Dolph Ziggler

SmackDown Tag Team Championship Triple Threat Ladder Match: The Miz & John Morrison vs. The New Day vs. The Usos (possibly a 1-on-1-on-1 match with Morrison vs. one member of The Usos vs. one member of The New Day)

Not announced: Women’s Tag Team Championship Match – Kabuki Warriors (Asuka & Kairi Sane) vs. Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross vs. ???

RAW

RESULTS

Andrade & Angel Garza defeated Cedric Alexander & Ricochet

Non-Title RAW Tag Team Championship Match: Champions The Street Profits defeated Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink

Aleister Black defeated Leon Ruff

Definitely, a different vibe with RAW tonight with the different camera angle. A more cozy look to the show helps. It was also good to see them finally acknowledge the “tough times” the Country is facing, something they didn’t address last week. It’s ok to be honest with the audience, we can take it.

A #LastManStandingMatch with @EdgeRatedR at #WrestleMania…@RandyOrton ACCEPTS!#RAW pic.twitter.com/EClUDXwjXH

— WWE (@WWE) March 24, 2020

As usual, the promo work from the likes of Paul Heyman, Seth Rollins and Randy Orton delivers home runs in pushing forward their respective matches for WrestleMania. I especially liked the mixing of video directly into Orton’s promo, a nice touch instead of just tossing to a video on the big screen.

What exactly is a Boneyard Match AJ Styles? I’m assuming it’s something to do with a cemetery, right? We’ll find out I’m sure over the next week what it will entail for The Undertaker. BTW: What is his fascination with Michelle McCool anyway?

Interesting that the WWE had chosen to give United State Champion Andrade and Angel Garza a tag team title match without really accomplishing anything as a tag team. But, at this point, it’s all about getting their top stars into matches for the two-day event. Now, with Andrade reportedly out, it’s NXT’s Austin Theory who will get the title chance with Angel Garza.

Also, interesting that they chose to use stars from EVOLVE and NXT in matches rather than current RAW talents. As we’ve said previously, they are taping a lot of content over the course of a few days to maximize time and talents with the coronavirus still spreading. So, it could be just that.

While addressing #WrestleMania, @QoSBaszler just got introduced to a steel chair by @BeckyLynchWWE!#RAW pic.twitter.com/rPeuw4c3jQ

— WWE (@WWE) March 24, 2020

BANG! How did that chair shot feel Shayna Baszler? The Man, Becky Lynch sure delivered a wallop there!

The team of @AndradeCienWWE & @AngelGarzaWwe is out to impress NEXT against @KingRicochet & @CedricAlexander on #Raw! pic.twitter.com/fPWboNXga8

— WWE (@WWE) March 24, 2020

Damn, Charley Caruso sure is getting a lot of airtime these days. What and when will we get a payoff with Angel Garza and “Chuck?”

Finally, continued good use of prior matches to push current stories ahead. The 2015 Royal Rumble match with Brock Lesnar defeating John Cena and Seth Rollins cements further the fact of how dominant he’s been for 18 years. Charlotte Flair’s streak-ending win over Asuka at WrestleMania 30 boosts her stock as well heading into her NXT Championship match with Rhea Ripley.

Overall, an enjoyable show considering the circumstances.

NXT

RESULTS

Tyler Breeze defeated Austin Theory

Killian Dain defeated Tehuti Miles

Cameron Grimes defeated Tony Nese

NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Ladder Match: Io Shirai defeated Aliyah

Oney Lorcan & Danny Burch defeated Shane Thorne & Brendan Vink

NXT Women’s Championship #1 Contender’s Ladder Match: Candice LeRae defeated Kayden Carter

Matt Riddle defeated Roderick Strong

On NXT, we get matches again after a week off for some really good storytelling. That definitely helped the ratings get back up with a big boost this past Wednesday night (nearly 669,000 after last week’s 500,000)

Two more additions for the #1 Contender’s Ladder Match as Io Shirai, subbing for an injured Xia Li, joins Candice LeRae for the right to face Rhea Ripley down the road.

Even though it backfired on Austin Theory, loved the use of Tyler Breeze’s cell phone in their match. It was a good back-and-forth between the two to start the night!

.@Malcolmvelli, what have you unleashed upon our #WWENXT Tag Team Division?

@SuperKingofBros pic.twitter.com/UvYvnmF5wP

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) March 26, 2020

Matt Riddle gets the win over Roderick Strong before being taken out by the returning Malcolm Bivens and his new tag team, “the future of the NXT Tag Team Division.” Way to take advantage of Pete Dunne being stuck overseas!

Two weeks notice. Empty building, referee, @NXTCiampa, @JohnnyGargano. When it's over, it's 𝙊𝙑𝙀𝙍. #WWENXT @TripleH pic.twitter.com/9dNgz23QHs

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) March 26, 2020

To cap the night, Triple H lays the edict down on Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano. They get one last match to end the feud. It’ll be in an empty arena with just a ref to say it’s over! Sounds like we will get one for the ages if their romp around the Performance Center last week is any indication.

Tick tock, @JohnnyGargano & @NXTCiampa…

#WWENXT pic.twitter.com/6PAXiYWt3G

— WWE NXT (@WWENXT) March 26, 2020

But, before they were done, Triple H, Ciampa and Gargano get interrupted to end the show with Tick. Tock. Apocalypse! Killer Kross is coming folks! It’s official! We can only hope that he brings Scarlett Bordeaux with him!

An entertaining show that definitely moved things forward. Quality stuff and some 205 Live mixed it to boot, thanks Tony Nese, even in defeat!

SMACKDOWN

RESULTS

Drew Gulak defeated Shinsuke Nakamura – Danial Bryan wins Intercontinental Championship Match vs. Sami Zayn at WrestleMania

Alexa Bliss defeated Asuka

The Usos vs. The New Day went to a no-contest when The Miz & John Morrison interfered – The Usos & The New Day win SmackDown Tag Team Championship Match at WrestleMania

Very surprised at how little things changed on SmackDown Friday night given the fact of how much we know things WILL change in regards of WrestleMania. It almost seemed like they were going out of there way not to admit things are changing. I would’ve been up front with it. We all know that COVID-19 has affected everything. They’ve yet to come right out and say it. Just do it!

We still got Triple H hyping up Roman Reigns and his match against Bill Goldberg for the Universal Championship. That came after a replay of Reigns beating Triple H back at WrestleMania 32 in Texas. We now all know that Reigns has bowed out of WrestleMania 36, but the WWE is still hyping the match. In fact, they doubled down after SmackDown by hyping a final confrontation between Reigns and Goldberg on next week’s show.

"Why do you keep hitting me?"#SmackDown @MichaelCole @NikkiCrossWWE pic.twitter.com/gqZC25lkTJ

— WWE (@WWE) March 28, 2020

They’re also still hyping a possible Women’s Tag Team Championship Match for Alexa Bliss & Nikki Cross against The Kabuki Warriors after Bliss beat Asuka Friday night in a fun match. Loved Nikki Cross on commentary too! Unpredictable is a good thing!

As for the Women’s Championship, the show opening promo-fest with Bayley, Sasha Banks, Lacey Evans, Naomi and Tamina was nothing short of predictable and did little to gain interest, IMHO.

We knew it was coming – Daniel Bryan gets his I-C Title shot against Sami Zayn after Drew Gulak took out Shinsuke Nakamura, with Bryan’s help.

What did @BaronCorbinWWE just do?! #SmackDown pic.twitter.com/PhekgVPuxK

— WWE on FOX (@WWEonFOX) March 28, 2020

A couple of things that bewildered me. First, how can Elias really compete at WrestleMania in a week after being thrown off a balcony by King Corbin? Seriously?!

NEXT WEEK on #SmackDown!@JohnCena @WWEBrayWyatt pic.twitter.com/xWXQ2wZQML

— WWE (@WWE) March 28, 2020

What exactly is a Firefly Funhouse Match? It sounds intriguing as hell, so I hope it delivers between The Fiend and John Cena.

With The Miz & John Morrison doing ringside commentary, do you really need a crowd to fill the noise? Damn, they are entertaining and non-stop!

Parting shots:

There’s plenty of wrestling on TV for the WWE before WrestleMania.

Sunday – 4:30pm ESPN – WWE Behind the Curtain

Sunday – 5:30pm ESPN – Ric Flair 30 for 30

Sunday – 7pm ESPN – WrestleMania 32 from Arlington, TX

Tuesday – 7pm FS1 – Royal Rumble 2020

Thanks for letting us share our thoughts! Shoot me an email at jcrowe567@gmail.com. We’d love to hear your comments and suggestions! You can also check out my blog, The Crowe’s Nest as we delve into more pro wrestling, sports entertainment and the World of Sports. My apologies ahead of time – I AM a Patriots and Red Sox fan! If you’re not down with that, I’ve got TWO WORDS for you… NEW ENGLAND!

[killian-whump]

They were fighting above him, under the gallows, but he couldn't manage more than blinking yet. Stars danced in his vision and every time he swallowed it felt like thousands of nails stabbed him in the throat. But the sweet song of steel rang above him and he c...wouldn't lie there waiting for someone to end him. Killian rolled to his side before sharp pain spiked through his head. He was shaking, weak, finished. Then he heard her call. She knew his name. He'd not heard his given name in an age.

Oh, it’s so good... and I am on the edge of my frickin’ seat right now... She knows his name! His given name! The plot thickens!!!

Tagging @cocohook38, @hollyethecurious, @ss-captainswan, @kmomof4, @eala-captian, @eminem1194, @icecubelotr44 and @ladyciaramiggles - If you’d like to also be tagged, let me know! (And if you’ve asked for a tag and I haven’t been tagging you, please ask again, because I missed it!)

To catch up on all the parts of the story so far, click here!

[ao3feed-galavant]

Wallpapers for Smallfandomfest 21

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2uccuIC

by angelus2hot

42 wallpapers in a variety of fandoms

Words: 0, Chapters: 21/21, Language: English

Fandoms: Dirty Dancing (1987), Fantastic Four (Movies 2005-2007), Fifty Shades of Grey (2015), Galavant (TV), Grease (1978), Grease 2 (1982), Hemlock Grove, iZombie (TV), Limitless (TV), Lucifer (TV), I Medici | Medici: Masters of Florence (TV), Nip/Tuck, No Tomorrow (TV 2016), Phantom of the Opera (2004), Star-Crossed (TV 2014), Strike Back, The Almighty Johnsons, The Magicians (TV), The Night Shift (TV 2014), The Secret Circle (TV), Vikings (TV), Witches of East End (TV)

Rating: Teen And Up Audiences

Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply

Categories: F/M, Gen, M/M

Characters: Christian Troy, Brian Finch, Eliot Waugh, Victor von Doom, Galavant (Galavant), Richard (Galavant), Lucifer Morningstar (Lucifer TV), Ty Johnson (Almighty Johnsons), Olaf Johnson, Anders Johnson, Mike Johnson, Axl Johnson

Relationships: Cosimo de' Medici/Contessina de' Bardi, Jordan Alexander/T. C. Callahan, Xavier Holliday/Evie Covington, Roman/Emery Whitehill, Drake Holloway/Liv Moore, Johnny Castle/Frances "Baby" Houseman, Sandy Olsson/Danny Zuko, Christine Daaé/Erik | Phantom of the Opera, Johnny Nogerelli/Paulette Rebchuck, Michael Carrington/Stephanie Zinone, Christian Grey/Anastasia Steele, Athelstan/Ragnar Lothbrok, Damien Scott/Michael Stonebridge, Roman Godfrey/Peter Rumancek, Jake Armstrong/Cassie Blake, Freya Beauchamp/Killian Gardiner

Additional Tags: Wallpaper, Community: smallfandomfest

read it on the AO3 at http://ift.tt/2uccuIC

[myhappywonderlandblog]

First quarter was both productive and a colossal failure. January was great. I wrote a lot for my manuscript, then a house fell on me in February. I tried to fight my emotions by working on a short story and reading. A lot of reading. But, I’m still not in full swing with finishing the final book in the Primordial Realms series. Here’s the quarterly recap.

Reading Goals:

*****

Come What May (Sam Harlan, Vampire Hunter Book One) by Kevin Lee Swaim: I approached this book with dread, because I was coming off a run of barely surviving several terrible or flat out boring books in a row. This novel was a pleasant surprise. Come What May was an emotional and fast paced journey. It had twists and likeable characters. I certainly would read book two in the Sam Harlan, Vampire Hunter series.

Discovered on the Salve Planet (Pykh Book One) by Eileen Glass: I thought this would be the typical sci-fi M/M/M alien erotic romance, but it turned out to be much more interesting. The world building is enough to make the settings feel real places, but didn’t bog down the story. The three main characters, Siel, Pykh, and Carter, are loveable and each has a unique voice. This story could have easily devolved into clichés that plague gay erotica, but it never did. Overall, Discovered on the Salve Planet is a fun, sexy read. I finished the book in a few days and I liked it so much, I immediately bought book two.

  ****

Human Omega: Trapped in the Alien Jungle (Pykh Book 2) by Eileen Glass: The novel had ten times more world building than book one. The additional world building slowed down the pace, but developed the characters and their backstories perfectly. I grew to love Pykh, Carter and Siel so much more. I docked this book a star due to certain things being repeated numerous times. This is another fun, easy read and a delightful addition to the gay erotica genre.

Warlock for Hire: Arcane Inc. Book One by Sean Stone: I disliked the protagonist, Eddie Landcaster, and didn’t care if he defeated the stereotypical villain, Killian Meyers. The novel was well written and the pace kept me turning pages. Unfortunately, everything about Eddie, and him speaking directly to readers, turned me off.

Magic of the Gargoyles (Gargoyle Guardian Chronicles Book One) by Rebecca Chastain: This was a cute, fun and entertaining story. The lead protagonist, Mika, was sweet and brave. This was a fast, cute read.

  Other Books: I read these.

Three Wishes (Djinn Everlasting, Book One) by Lisa Manifold

A Ferry of Bones & Gold (Soulbound Book One) by Hailey Turner

Strain by Amelia C. Gormley

Silk & Steel Book 1: Silk & Steel by Ariana Nash (aka Pippa DaCosta)

Lost Library: An Urban Fantasy Romance by Kate Baray

Thunder Hunter: An Urban Fantasy Novel (Viking Soul Book One) by Rachel Medhurst

Of Ice and Snow (Fairy Queen Book One) by Amber Argyle

Writing Goals:

In January I was so productive. I’m quite angry at myself for slacking off. One good thing was finishing a rewrite on a short story I co-authored. This is definitely being considered as part of my short story goals. I’m getting back in the saddle with my manuscript in 2nd Q.

Author Goals:

Trapped in a Broken Place has been published on Amazon. Woo Hoo! I did two promo eNewsletter site ads like I normally do. The results weren’t good. I’m currently running Amazon Advertising sponsored product ads. So, we’ll see how that goes.

Moving forward, I plan to:

Continue writing the last book in the Primordial Realms series.

Write at least one flash fiction and/or short story.

  What goals did you accomplish in first quarter?

I hope you liked this month’s blog post. The books in my urban fantasy series, Primordial Realms, are available at Amazon. They are free on Kindle Unlimited! Please let me know your thoughts by liking, commenting, or subscribing.

  Buy on Amazon HERE!

Quarterly #Writing Goals: Q1 2019 Review First quarter was both productive and a colossal failure. January was great. I wrote a lot for my manuscript, then a house fell on me in February.